


Art Appeal

by SeaWeedHead14



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: College AU, M/M, Mild Language, eventual one sided attraction, no generation of miracles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-04
Updated: 2016-11-01
Packaged: 2018-02-28 04:16:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 27,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2718443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeaWeedHead14/pseuds/SeaWeedHead14
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kagami and Aomine go to university in America where both of them get stuck taking an art course. They happen to meet someone interesting and learn about more than just art. </p>
<p>Set in an AU where there's no GoM.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm finally cross posting this here from my ff.net account. This is my first milti-chap fic and it's taken me a lot longer to finish than I had anticipated, but I will see this fic to the end!
> 
> Also anything in _italics_ is a character's inner thoughts.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you all enjoy :)
> 
> [EDIT: Just a heads up, this story is old. _Like 4 years old_. So there is a lot of older fan fic word uses and phrases. I always thought about changing it, but this was my first ever fan fic and it’s a remembrance of the good old days, ya know. So if terms like ‘bluenette’ annoy you, or when college aged boys blush pretty frequently, then you might not want to read this. You have been warned…]

_What the hell does art have to do with basketball?_

Was the question reeling inside Aomine’s head. Seriously, the two are on totally different levels. Art is all frilly and complicated, while basketball; well basketball just made sense.

“Damn American universities making me do dumb shit for no reason” he growled, heading to meet Kagami at the school’s gymnasium for some one-on-one. Although it was still summer their school left the gymnasium open for sports training as well as for other student use.

When he got there, the red head could clearly see something was bothering him, and furrowed his brows in question.

“Don’t tell me another girl complained about sexual harassment again?”

“Shut up! No, it’s about this stupid art class I have to take this coming semester,” he sighed and crumpled up the new schedule his academic advisor had given him before grabbing the ball from the red head’s hands and dribbling it.

“Mmm an art class?” 

Kagami curiously picked up the crumbled wad of paper and looked over the blunette’s schedule.

“Wait the art section is blank?”

“Yeah that’s cause the annoying broad said I could pick which type of art class I want. I didn’t even know there were different types!” he exclaimed with a bewildered expression while dropping the ball in order to tug at his blue crop with both hands.

Kagami and Aomine had both received full scholarships to play basketball at a well-known American university, but although being in the country and attending university for over a year, the two still weren’t used to how some things in the West were run.

Kagami continued to look at Aomine’s new fall schedule and remembered he had to get his own sorted out before all the important classes were taken. He already noted that he had to take the same ones as Aomine so most likely they would be in the same classes, which was how it usually went, but wait, if they had the same classes…that meant…

“Crap.”

The power forward stopped mid sprint to look over at his friend whose eyes were wide with a mixture of panic and defeat.

“What? You just now realized you’ll never be as good a player as me?” He smirked.

Ignoring the tanned man’s comment, Kagami replied, “No, I just realized I have to take an art class too.”

**~ ~ XxXxX ~ ~**

Something as simple as an art class may not appear very threatening to most university students, but to two basketball idiots it was one of the most frightening concepts of their young lives. 

Both men couldn’t even remember the last time they had done something artistic.

Kagami recalled coloring some pictures with his childhood friend Tatsuya back in LA when he was like what 6?

Aomine recalled gluing some dry macaroni to an empty toilet paper roll to make some sort of noisy instrument in preschool, but his parents had thrown it away because they said he was being too loud with it. That’s what it was meant for damn it!

Or could all the times Aomine let his childhood friend and neighbor Satsuki paint his nails count as something? He wasn’t the one doing the painting, but sometimes she would let him pick the color. That’s artistic, right? Wait what was he saying?!

While both men were buried in their thoughts, they were making their way to the academic office to pick up Kagami’s schedule and to choose their ‘desired,’ (if that’s what you could call it), art course.

They had agreed to take the same class so that way they could be miserable and fail together…or at least have someone to talk to.

After things got sorted out with Kagami’s schedule, which was exactly identical to Aomine’s, the two began to look through the list of art classes their school provided.

“Interpretive dance?” Aomine snorted. ”How is thinking and dancing at the same time art?”

“Pottery?” Kagami countered. “Wait Harry Potter knowledge is an art form?”

The advisor simply stared at the two imbeciles before her, stopping to wonder if this was all some sort of joke, upon realizing they were indeed just this dumb. In order to contain her laughter and to get the young men out of her office as soon as possible, she decided to help them out a little.

“Uhm, excuse me, but why don’t you boys consider maybe taking a drawing class. A class where you simply just draw.” Surely they at least know how to do that.

Both boys looked at each other and shrugged.

“What kind of things would we draw?” Kagami asked. “Like bowls of fruit?”

“Or naked women?” Aomine smirked.

“Well actually yes, most likely both of those options are a possibility. Our school’s drawing course offers a wide variety of objects and models to draw, in order to bring out each students full artistic potential.”

“Sign me up!” And before the academic advisor could even blink, Aomine had filled in both of their schedules and handed them back to her.

“You boys have a good evening” she called behind them, as they made their way out of her office and back to the gymnasium.

“Maybe this whole art thing won’t be so bad” said Aomine as he walked with his hands behind his head looking as if he hadn’t a care in the world.

“Five minutes ago you were freaking out and now you’re ok with it just because there might be some naked women involved.”

“Yeah what’s your point?” Aomine was truly confused.

“Well did you ever think that might mean there could be naked men as well?”

“Whatever, we’ll be fine. Besides, we see naked guys all the time in the locker room. What would be the big deal?”

Kagami gave a small sigh, “Yeah I guess you’re right,” and with that they had already made their way back into the gymnasium.

“Come on, let’s enjoy our last week of summer instead of worrying about some dumb old drawing class. You still haven’t beaten me since it began.” 

Aomine then took his stance at the center of the court with a smug smirk upon his face.

“Like you said, we still have a week left.” Kagami growled back, and stole the ball away before Aomine even had the chance to reply.

The two spent their last week of summer doing nothing but playing basketball, secretly anticipating the mystery that was to be their new art class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! Please tell me what you think :)


	2. Be the Tree

“Hurry up we’re gonna be late.” Kagami yelled.

“Well whose fault would that be.” Aomine growled back.

Both boys were making their way out of the gym locker room, and hurrying up the stone steps to the art building. 

It had taken them forever to locate the building on their school maps, not even realizing their school had such a thing. Once known of the general direction, both boys rushed to ensure they weren’t late on the first day.

So many thoughts were swirling though their heads as they dashed through various doors and hallways in order to get to their designated class.

When they reached their destination, they both slumped in the entry way trying to catch their breaths.

“Ah, just in time you two, please take a seat in the front row.” Said the busty blonde, who was their art teacher, as she then proceeded to ask them their names to check it off on her attendance sheet.

Aomine grumbled his name in reply and was about to protest about sitting in the front, hating anything located within a teacher’s direct line of sight which would hinder his sleeping time, but once setting eyes on his new professor, he eagerly accepted one of the two available seats in the front of the class. 

Kagami took his seat next to Aomine and looked around. The class room was pretty large, almost the same size as a lecture room, but there were probably only 15 students or so in the class.

There was an elevated platform in the front of the room almost like a stage, along with a whiteboard to the left side. The back of the room was filled with multiple storage cabinets, probably containing various art supplies, he thought, with a stack of extra chairs and a pile of art easels lined against the wall.

The lighting was good thanks to the multiple windows adorning the sides, and the view was of the large field near the back of the school, providing a pleasant view of scenery compared to most other classrooms.

It was kind of nice and intimate, and he thought he liked that.

“Now class my name is Professor Alexandra Garcia, but you can call me Alex.” She smiled and adjusted her thick glasses, before continuing with her introduction.

“This is Drawing 101, where you will learn the basic skills needed to draw simple works of art.”

Here everyone nodded, while Aomine, finally registering what the attractive blonde had said, realized that he was truly in an art class and slumped in his seat with a scowl.

“Now today we are going to start off with something simple.” And here Alex removed the red sheet that had been covering an odd figure in the front of the room.

Much to Aomine’s chargin, it was a small pine tree.

“Wait I thought we were going to be drawing naked women!” The blunette snapped, which urked the teacher in front of him.

“Well I’m sorry Mr. Aomine if this class has yet to meet your standards, but how about you take a page from your cute friend there and behave yourself.” Alex looked over to  
Kagami and gave a small nod in approval, followed by a subtle wink.

 _Cute ? And was that a wink?_ Kagami thought, and in order to keep his cheeks from turning as red as his hair, he concentrated on the presence of the small pine in front of him.

Aomine, who was oblivious to the motion, continued to scowl and gave the baby pine the darkest glare he could muster, hoping his pure hatred towards the class alone would set it on fire right where it stood.

“Now in order to begin drawing the pine, you need to be the pine. See what _it_ sees, and feel how _it_ feels.”

Kagami and Aomine were both whipped out of their trances, and stared at the teacher each with their own incredulous look.

“You want us to be a damn tree?” Aomine questioned.

“Yes, so you’ll be able to draw a proper rendition of its true form.” Alex answered.

Both boys looked at each other; _She has got to be kidding._

**~ ~ XxXxX ~ ~**

Despite their apprehension, and a bit of Aomine’s rebellion, they stood up with the rest of the class and tried their best to _be the tree._

Not really having an idea how a tree would act, Kagami raised both arms above his head and placed both hands together in a prayer position, insinuating a point.

Alex was making her way through the few rows of seats when she stopped in front of Kagami and Aomine.

“Nice work Taiga. I see you’re attempting to model your tall structure after the pine’s distinct triangular figure, and I give you props for trying.”

Kagami slightly blushed, but was able to conjure up a muffled ‘thanks’ before returning back to his staring contest with the pine.

“And just what part of the tree are you supposed to be, Mr. Aomine?” Alex glared at the tanned man on the ground.

“I’m the frigin stump alright!” Aomine replied, which earned him a swift bump on the head along with an **F** for the day.

“What that’s not fair, I was being the stump! That’s a part of the damn tree right!?”

“You receive a **B** in regards to your original thinking and persistence, but an **F** in effort and overall production.”

Kagami, still trying to stay in touch with his ‘inner tree,’ began to chuckle.

Aomine stood up from the floor and slammed his fist into Kagami’s side.

“What the hell man!”

“Sorry, it must have been one of my branches.” The bluenette smirked, and went back to his seat to count down the minutes till this Hell was over.

“Great job everyone! Now that you all know what it’s like to be the tree, you will all draw the tree. Just think of it as a self-portrait from your new-found tree point-of-view.” She beamed and clapped her hands together, directing the students to each grab an easel from the back of the room and begin their lesson.

When Aomine remained seated, Kagami sighed and went to retrieve the easels, and placed one in front of his friend.

“You have till class is over.”

 _Great no pressure,_ Kagami thought, but then again he was used to pressure.

Pressure from his coach, from his captain, heck sometimes even from his fellow teammates.

Thinking of teammates; the red head turned to see how the other power forward was making out.

To his surprise, he was _actually_ drawing?

_What the heck?_

To the left of Kagami, Aomine was drawing with such force and intensity, as if he were in one of his matches. The grip on his pencil was so tight, his knuckles were white, and…was he actually smiling?

No, that wasn’t a smile displayed on his lips. That was simply Aomine’s sneer, the one he saved when he was serving up special cases of revenge.

Kagami was curious as to what creation was putting Aomine into such a state, and when he leaned over to take a peak, he either wanted to laugh or deadpan.

Due to the quietness of the room, he decided on the latter, and figured he would save the other for after class when they could laugh out loud together.

Moments like this reminded him why he and Aomine were friends.

**~ ~ XxXxX ~ ~**

When class was over, Aomine and Kagami proceeded to the front of the room to hand in their drawings.

“So how did you boys enjoy your first day of class?” Alex asked, directing the question to both of them, yet only looking at Kagami.

Noticing her full attention on him, the red head scratched the back of his head with a small relpy of ‘all right’.

“Well I thought it was stupid.” Aomine bluntly stated which knocked Kagami out of his shy stupor.

“I’m sorry to hear that Mr. Aomine.” Alex cooly replied, “I hope you’ll decide to stick it out, if not for your degree than at least for the artistic experience.”

“Whatever” Was the grunt response she received along with their two drawings.

“Just think we’ll have our first human model tomorrow.” She beamed at them while adding their drawings on top of the pile on her desk.

That thought only made Aomine smirk wider, as they both exited the classroom.

Upon their departure, Alex heard their boisterous laughter echo throughout the hallway, and decided to look down at their drawings.

After examining Kagami’s third grade rendition of a Christmas tree, she shifted the papers to come across Aomine’s…was that…was that a _**stump!?**_

She replaced their papers back on top of the pile and rubbed the temples on the sides of her head.

“Oh that boy is in for a rude awakening.”


	3. The Model

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder that everything in _italics_ is a character's internal thoughts.

Getting to their art class the next day was much easier and both boys actually arrived on time.

As Alex was taking attendance, the class was filled with excited whispers about their first human model.

Aomine was not one to really get excited per se, but he was anxious to see what this model looked like. If she had anything below a C cup, he swore he was going to walk out of the class!

Kagami on the other hand was a little nervous. Besides a few love scenes in movies, Kagami had never seen a naked woman before and he was embarrassed if such an occasion were to happen in a public place. He hoped Alex would go easy on them and at least have her wear a robe or something, but knowing her he seriously doubted it.

They were both brought out of their thoughts when Alex stood up to make an annoucnement.

"Ok everyone our model should be arriving shortly so go ahead and grab an easel and get your supplies ready. I have to go check on a few things, but I'll be right back."

Alex then briskly made her exit and the students began to make their way towards the supplies in the back of the room.

Neither Kagami nor Aomine made an effort to move. The red head simply crossed his out stretched legs and his arms before giving the blunette a nod to the back of the room. As Aomine was about to protest, he remembered his own stubbornness from the day before and with a glare got up from his seat to retrieve their needed supplies.

They were focusing so intently on setting up their easels properly, only being their second time and with no teacher around to help, that they didn't notice the hush that overcame the room.

Once settled, they both looked up.

Standing in the door way was a tall young man with short blonde hair and golden cat like eyes. He was wearing tight black jeans with a blood red v-neck and black leather knee high boots. He cast a searching gaze amongst the classroom of gawking students, slowly resting on Kagami and then Aomine in the front of the room.

Kagami stared as if frozen in place from the boy's quick glance upon him, those amber eyes setting his whole being on fire. _He's gorgeous,_ he thought.

Aomine on the other hand glared daggers at the youth and actually thought he saw the blonde slightly shrink back in response. He did not want to admit he found the blonde man beautiful; heck that wasn't even a common word in his vocabulary! Glaring was all he could think to do; besides it came natural to him.

Upon noticing the empty teacher's desk, the young man hesitantly turned and was about to exit the room, when Alex appeared and flung both arms around his neck and planted a kiss upon his soft pink lips.

As if the class wasn't surprised enough, the public display of affection had them all failing to contain the blushes creeping up their faces.

Kagami's brain was just about malfunctioning, and Aomine appeared to only become more upset.

"Not here Alexcchi everyone is staring at us." The blonde's face was a light shade of red from the scene that had just taken place.

"Oh come on, no need to be shy." She smiled and directed the boy further in the room.

"Class I would like to introduce our model, and my adorable nephew, Kise Ryouta."

The blonde threw the class a dazzling smile and both boys swore they saw sparkles.

"Hello, I look forward to working with you all."

**~ ~ XxXxX ~ ~**

While Alex was helping Kise get settled on the elevated platform, Aomine and Kagami took the time to calm themselves down a bit.

The power forward stopped his intense glare to peek over at his friend. He noticed Kagami's face was a tad red, and he looked a little uncomfortable. Aomine shrugged, thinking he must be upset just like him, and then returned his watch back to the two blondes before him.

"Perfect!" Alex beamed and turned her attention towards the class.

Kise stood facing the few rows of students. He had one hand lightly behind his head, stroking his own soft locks before finally resting in place, while the other hung loosely to his pant pocket. His posture was light with a look of indifference and his eyes were glancing off to the side at nothing in particular. The spotlight directly above him illuminated his golden strands and his milky white complexion incasing the presence of a Greek god.

Everyone was speechless.

"Ok class, considering this is our first human model I want you all to only concentrate on his top body structure, so from his head to his shoulders. We will be concentrating on other areas of the human form throughout the semester. You have till the end of class, enjoy!" With that Alex descended from the platform and made her way to her desk.

Aomine had no idea where to even begin. He knew he only had to focus on a select part, but he actually found it hard with such an interesting specimen before him.

The blonde was unnaturally pretty for a guy, with his dark long lashes, warm amber irises and porcelain skin; Aomine couldn't help but stare.

The small silver hoop located on the boy's left ear was also something Aomine had not expected, it was erotic in its own way and something about it made him wonder how that cold, smooth silver would taste_ snapping out of his trance, Aomine decided it was best to try and concentrate on their assignment. Where better to start than with that exposed, velvety collar bone…

Kagami had to admit, the guy was beyond beautiful. He even thought he was the most gorgeous human being he had ever seen!

Back in middle school and high school he had a few crushes, but was always too focused on basketball to even consider a relationship, plus he found he didn't exactly know how to interact with those who made him…well, flustered.

This type of flustered was different though. He couldn't explain it, but it felt more intense as if there was some sort of gravitational pull drawing him in towards those hypnotic honey colored orbs.

Without thinking about anything else, Kagami raised his pencil to his easel and began his attempt to create what he knew he would never be able to properly convey on paper; the beauty of those mesmerizing eyes.

**~ ~ XxXxX ~ ~**

Class seemed too short that day, and both Aomine and Kagami found themselves actually reluctant to leave. If they didn't have their basketball club meeting next, they wouldn't mind sitting there and drawing the model all day.

"How did you boys enjoy today's class?" Alex began to adjust her glasses, but again her stare never left Kagami.

"It was ok." They lied. It was much better than 'ok'.

"Isn't my nephew just the most beautiful thing you've ever seen! I could just eat him up!"

"Alexcchi!" Kise whined, and excused himself from the group of female students that had surrounded him upon his leave from the platform, to join the trio at his aunt's desk.

"What? There's nothing wrong with being honest." The busty blonde looked up to her nephew with a pout, something she knew would have no effect on him, but tried regardless.

Kise ingnored his aunt's antics in turn of glancing at the two boys in front of her.

_They have great builds, I wonder if they play any sports?_

"Say do either of you guys play any sports?" He inquired.

Startled by the model's direct question, both Kagami and Aomine took a second to respond.

"Yeah we're both on the basketball team. Why?" It was Aomine who spoke

"Oooohhhh the basketball team! That sounds so exciting!" Kise beamed.

They were shocked by the blonde's enthusiastic reaction. Although he too was well built, he didn't seem like the type to enjoy sports.

"We're headed over there now for some practice if you want to join us." This time it was Kagami. He never felt shy when talking about basketball, no matter who it was with.

"You should go Ryouta, it sounds like fun." Alex chimed in.

Aomine looked over at his friend confused as to what the other was trying to do, and then to their teacher for throwing in her unwanted words of encouragement, and lastly back to the boy across from them to see his response.

He was puzzled to find the model's gaze turned towards the ground and his cheerful smile no longer present.

"Thank you, but I have someone waiting for me. Maybe some other time." With that he nodded to his aunt and then to the both of them before exiting the room.

Kagami was disappointed at the blonde's rejection, but also concerned. Something seemed off.

Alex's shook her head and mumbled something under her breath about 'too young' and 'have more fun.'

Aomine and Kagami didn't exactly get what had just transpired, but figured it wasn't their place.

As they were headed towards the door, on impulse Aomine turned around and asked "When will your nephew be coming back?"

Surprised by his question, Alex simply stared at him. "He'll be joining us for the next couple of weeks, unless he decides otherwise."

Curious as to who _'he'_ was, Aomine decided to not press the matter further. Instead he and Kagami made their way towards the gym, both lost in their own thoughts and hoping a few strenuous games of one-on-one would cure their new uneasy emotions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the model is Kise! Sorry if I disappointed anyone, but I truly love that boy so for me he is a must!
> 
> *Yeah I wasn't exactly sure what Kise would call Alex, because she is his family and they are in America so I figured her first name would be appropriate, and I believe he would respect her for her artistic talent and basketball knowledge (further to come), so I felt the ~cchi could fit.


	4. Of Burgers and Basketball

Their walk home that day was different.

There was no rambling, no teasing, no small talk; just the sound of basketball sneakers hitting pavement, then making their way up to the surface before slamming back down.

The deafening sound of Kagami's stomach broke their individual reveries.

"Hey wanna grab a bite to eat?"

"Damn you're such a fat ass man." Aomine chuckled, and they decided to make their way to the nearest burger joint.

Across the street was a new French restaurant that all the town's food critics were raving about. It served the kind of fancy food that Kagami and Aomine had only seen on cooking shows. They usually would watch them during rainy summer or weekend afternoons, when the weather was too disagreeable to play basketball. Aomine wasn't very particular about his food so he mostly slept through many of the specials, but Kagami took some interest in the craft. He found creating something not only appealing to the eye, but to the stomach and mouth as well, could actually be fun. Although it was nowhere near close to his fascination and love for basketball, he figured it could serve as a sort of outlet, plus it would be a helpful skill to have along the line.

Walking past and looking at the structure and quality of the elegant building made Kagami wish he had the funds to be able to enjoy such a treat. Not one to dwell, he figured he was young and had plenty of time to work his way up and was content with the vision of greasy burgers and cold vanilla shakes when a quick blur of gold caught his eye.

Inside the elaborate dining room of the restaurant was the model from their art class, Kise.

Kagami noted the downturn of those soft looking lips, and the disinterest in those amber orbs and he felt a sudden instinct to protect him. From who or what, he didn't know, but seeing the blonde look so upset made him uneasy.

"Hey isn't that the pretty boy from our art class today?" Aomine questioned, looking in the same direction as Kagami.

"Yeah, but he still looks upset, kind of like when he left this afternoon."

"I would be too, if I had to eat with someone like that."

Kagami had been so transfixed on Kise, he had failed to notice the man sitting directly across from him. He was of an average height with fire red hair and a pair of heterochromatic eyes, one being red and the other yellow. His posture was stiff and his aura oozed that of pure dominance.

Aomine didn't like the guy, not one bit. He couldn't explain exactly why, but he figured it had something to do with his eyes. They were **cold**. A major contrast from the warm and bright golden irises of his table companion. But more than that, they were _possessive_. Possessive of the blonde's every move, every facial expression, even his every breath, as if he _owned_ him.

Something about the notion pissed Aomine off, and he was going to give that midget a piece of his mind.

Before he realized what he was doing, and before Kagami could even stop him, Aomine flung open the door of the elite restaurant only to be faced by the startled glances of the town's wealthiest aristocrats.

_Shit._

**~ ~ XxXxX ~ ~**

"May I help you gentlemen?" Inquired the maître d', who looked very much offended by their average appearance.

"Umm…"

"It's okay Pierre they're with me."

Both boys were shocked to find the model himself coming to their defense. With him he brought one of his most dazzling smiles.

The man titled 'Pierre' quickly recovered his manners and gave a slight bow in Kise's direction.

"My apologies sir, I was unaware you had other guests joining your party. Please allow me to escort you and your companions back to your table. "

Once seated at the table with the now cheerful blonde and his callous partner, Kagami and Aomine realized the situation they were in.

"I remember you two from my aunt's drawing class. What were your names again?"

"Aomine Daiki, and the guy sweating bullets next to me is Kagami Taiga."

At the mention of his current emotional state, Kagami shot Aomine a vicious glare.

Kise found the red head's action enduring and simply chuckled.

"Well it's nice to officially meet you both" He beamed.

"Ryouta, are you forgetting your manners?"

At the mention of his name and in the authoritive tone it was spoken, Kise cast a glance to the well-polished marble floor, before lifting them to meet the icy glare of his companion.

"Oh sorry Akashicchi. Umm, this is Akashi Seijuro. He's my manger and the president of my modeling agency."

"Pleased to meet you Daiki, Taiga." He gave a small nod in acknowledgment to each boy and then began to observe them in silence.

Aomine narrowed his dark blue orbs in response, being reminded why he had entered the posh restaurant in the first place.

Noticing the tension rising, Kise opened the menus placed before Aomine and Kagami.

"You guys must be starving after your practice. Order something you like."

Aomine was still glaring at Akashi when he turned to Kise.

"We were actually going to head over to that burger joint across the street if you want to join us."

Both Akashi and Kagami's eyes almost popped out of their sockets!

_What is he doing! KISE, of all people, just invited us to eat in a gourmet restaurant and he's offering burgers instead!_

Kagami nudged his elbow hard into Aomine's rib cage.

"What the hell was that for Bakagami?"

The small ruckus allowed Akashi the chance to mask his emotions and continue his evaluation of the two young men in front of him. He remembered Ryouta mentioning something earlier about two boys who had invited him to play basketball, and now said boys were even asking him out to eat. There was something about their casual way of requesting Kise's company that annoyed him. How dare they believe themselves worthy of his presence!

They made him sick.

"Ryouta is not allowed to partake in such gluttonous activities. He has his image to upkeep."

"Well everything's okay in moderation." Aomine wasn't going down without a fight.

Now Akashi was starting to get angry.

"Sir, your vehicle has arrived. Murassakibara-san is expecting you shortly."

A tall man with pea green hair and black framed glasses was suddenly standing to the left of Akashi. He donned an expensive looking suit, _probably from Italy or wherever_ , Aomine thought, and had a sort of radio device running from his ear to the inside of his coat.

Akashi gave a slight nod to ensure the man that he had heard him, but made no movement.

"Hi Midorimacchi! Would you like to join us?" Kise gave a bright smile to the green haired gentlemen who only adjusted his glasses in response.

"I appreciate your civilities Kise-san, but I have told you countless times it is not my place to dine with you or Akashi-san. I must maintain my guard at all times, the safety of Akashi-san and yourself is of utmost importance."

"Ah you're no fun Midorimacchi" Kise pouted.

"One does not need to be _fun_ in order to accomplish their goals effectively Ryouta. That is something you must remember."

And with that Akashi stood from his seat and once again bowed his head to the three youths before him.

"Ryouta, I will be contacting you later tonight".

Eyes slanted, he turned towards Aomine and Kagami. "Daiki and Taiga, it was a pleasure."

As soon as the short red head and his loyal watchdog exited the restaurant, Kise was gathering his things.

"Let's go!"

**~ ~ XxXxX ~ ~**

Kagami and Aomine would have never expected anyone to find burgers as exciting as Kise did.

It took the model almost half an hour to decide what he wanted, which he then changed six times.

After finally ordering their food and securing a table for the three of them, Kagami and Aomine began to dig in. Kise, on the other hand, took pleasure in first taking a picture of his burger on his latest smartphone, then staring at his burger, as if in fear it would disappear before his eyes, and lastly to taking small inconsequential bites.

Red eyes met blue, and both were at a loss for words.

"So I take it you don't eat burgers often." Aomine quipped.

"No not at all! Akashicchi never lets me eat junk food. He says it's my job to be fit."

"Well we're both athletes, but even we enjoy this stuff every once in a while. Like Aomine said earlier, it's ok in moderation."

"Yes but Akashicchi has his own rules." Something about the way Kise said that made Aomine and Kagami feel a bit troubled.

"Was he the person you had waiting for you earlier?" Kagami asked.

"Yes, that's why I couldn't go and play basketball with you guys, although I really wanted to."

"He seems like a prick."

Kagami kicked Aomine under the table.

"Fuck, what is with you today!"

Despite the crude accusation, Kise appeared unfazed.

"He may be a little cold around the edges, but without Akashicchi I wouldn't be where I am today. I respect him very much."

"But don't you think he's controlling?" Aomine pressed.

Kise gave him a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"

Aomine paused only for a second, before taking another bite from his burger. He may have undermined the extent of Kise's innocence, he found it cute and a bit of a turn on.

Startled by this realization, he stifled a quick cough to stop the heat from rushing to his face.

"So how did you become a model in the first place?" Kagami was curious.

"Well Akashicchi and I were neighbors growing up. He's older than me by a few years and he would come over and help me with my school work, sort of like my own personal tutor. He would always give me compliments and stuff about my looks, but I just figured it was because we were friends. He even told me about his mom's modeling agency and tried to convince me to give him some of my pictures, but I told him I wasn't interested. Then his mother passed away from an accident and he became the new president. Although I was only in middle school at the time, I decided to sign on to his agency, if he would still have me, and he's been managing me ever since"

"Let me get this straight, you became a model because you felt bad your friend's mother died?" Aomine stated.

He fidgeted and replied with sad distant eyes. "Well I figured it was the least I could do, besides it made him really happy."

Noticing the dampened mood the mere mention of the president brought to Kise and wanting to change the subject, Kagami grabbed his tray and headed towards the trash can. "Hey there's a court not too far away, do you guys wanna go shoot a few hoops?"

"That sounds so much fun! "

Kise's excited reaction made Aomine smile, which caught Kagami off guard. It wasn't just a polite smile, it was a true, _genuine_ smile, as if Aomine took real pleasure in seeing the blonde so happy. Aomine rarely smiled…it didn't make sense.

Not wanting to acknowledge the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach, Kagami turned and started out the door towards the courts.

The other two walked behind him, with only the sound of Kise's lively chatter to keep them company.

**~ ~ XxXxX ~ ~**

"Wow! Who knew you had it in you Kise!" Aomine was glowing from perspiration and excitement of his own.

Kise laughed. "I've always loved sports I just don't get to play them very often."

"How come?" Kagami asked.

"Akashicchi doesn't want me to strain myself too much. He's afraid I'll go too far one day and hurt myself or something."

Considering his profession it seemed plausible, but it still felt as if there was something more to it.

"Oh, well my home is this way." Aomine gave a nod to the direction opposite Kagami and Kise, but appeared reluctant to leave.

"…so I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow?"

"Sounds good! See ya Aominecchi!" Kise smiled.

Aomine just stared.

"Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Call some people by that silly nickname?" He asked.

"Oh, I only add that to the people's names who I respect."

Aomine slightly flushed, or was it the heat, Kagami thought, and quickly turned around so his back was facing them.

"Whatever. See ya." He mumbled and headed towards the path of his house.

_So Kise respects Aomine?_

This fact made Kagami feel a little sad, and a whole lot of jealous.

_Why not me?_

He and Aomine were both great players, but Kagami felt sometimes that he had more to offer than just his basketball skills, so why couldn't anyone ever see that?

He was brought out of his thoughts when a black limousine pulled up and the window rolled down to reveal the green haired man from the restaurant. "Kise-san it is time to go."

Kise nodded his head and faced Kagami with a smile. He opened his arms and embraced him in a quick hug. Kagami stood there speechless and dazed.

"Thanks a lot, I had so much fun today! I'll see ya tomorrow Kagamicchi."

And with that Kise slide into the back of the limousine as the driver closed the door behind him and bowed to Kagami before entering the vehicle himself.

Kagami walked the rest of the way back to his apartment with a new found appreciation for his infamous art class…


	5. Friends

Kise watched Kagami's retreating form as the limo slowly made its way down the road. He waited until his new friend was completely out of view and then sank into his lush leather seat with a small smile.

It was then he noticed a pair of sharp heterochromatic eyes glaring at him from the opposite side.

"Did you have fun on your little outing today Ryouta?"

Kise bolted upright, and quickly coughed before answering. "Uh, I'm sorry Akashicch I didn't mean_"

"You already lied to me once today Ryouta, there is no need to lie to me again." He turned and pressed the button next to his seat. "Shintarou."

The voice of the green haired body guard echoed throughout the vehicle.

"Yes, Akashi-san."

"Please clear your schedule for the next few days as you will be attending Kise to all of his classes for the rest of the week. That is all."

"Yes, Akashi-san. I will take care of that immediately."

Kise's look of disbelief went ignored by Akashi and the remainder of their drive was silent.

**~ ~ XxXxX ~ ~**

As the bell rang for their art class to begin, Kagami and Aomine were each already setting up their _own_ easels and equipment, deciding to let their little feud be forgotten in the midst of their mutual excitement for today's assignment.

Alex entered the room with two gentlemen in tow, one being the attractive model and the other a familiar looking gentlemen with glasses and green hair. It was obvious to everyone that she was highly annoyed.

"Class we have another guest joining us." She gestured towards Kise's temporary 'keeper.'

"His name is Mr. Midorima, and he will be observing the progress of our… _class_ today."

Everyone nodded in understanding and began to finish setting up their materials.

Aomine and Kagami gave Kise a quizzical look which the blonde refused to return, before walking towards the elevated platform.

Alex joined him in the front of the room and clapped her hands to get the class' attention.

"In correlation with yesterday's assignment, today we will be concentrating on the full upper region of the body from the head to the abdomen." She then turned to Kise as he began to remove his black blazer and his white v-neck.

Kagami and Aomine merely stared, not thinking about anything but the appealing model in front of them.

Is it just me, or is it kinda warm in here? Aomine thought, before squirming slightly in his seat as the blonde continued to undress in front of them. Being an athlete, Aomine could appreciate a well-toned body, and Kise's was no exception. His biceps were well sculpted, and his abs were smooth and nicely defined. He soon found the heat surrounding his entire body, starting from his face and heading…well, south. Thank goodness his decided to wear a slightly baggy shirt today and that this class did not require any sort of physical movement aside from his arms.

 _He doesn't even have boobs! Just calm down and think about something else…something like…Bakagami losing to you in basketball again! Yeah that's it!_ And with that image in mind, a smirk replaced his once uncomfortable features.

Kagami wasn't faring well with this turn of events either, instead deciding to control his new troublesome thoughts by lightly tapping his feet to an invisible tune and keeping his eyes on the ground.

When Alex gave them their time frame and descended from the platform, issuing the assignment to begin, Aomine was hesitant to look up, but was not disappointed by what he saw.

Kise stood elevated in front of the entire class, in nothing but his skinny jeans and gray ankle high boots. Both of his hands were situated behind his neck, arching his back and chest forward, while his face displayed that of steamy exhaustion, as if the blonde had just finished a rigorous exercise or a round of blissful sex.

If Aomine thought it was hot before, he was on fire now, not to mention his pants were even more uncomfortable than they had been about five or so minutes ago. He thanked all the gods he knew for his choice of t-shirt this morning.

Kagami could not even look at him. Sure he had seen shirtless guys plenty of times, but this time felt different and he could not explain why. Aside from a few glances required to effectively complete his assignment, his eyes rarely focused on the model.

While maintaining his stance, the model couldn't help but notice the odd expressions of his two friends. _They must be upset that Midorimacchi's here and they probably never want to hang out with me again_. The idea pained him and he tried to concentrate on anything other than the heavy feeling in his chest.

Alex quietly observed the actions of the three young men, and smiled to herself.

**~ ~ XxXxX ~ ~**

"Ok class, please don't forget to put your supplies away properly, and I'll see you all tomorrow." Alex smiled as everyone began to return their easels to the back of the room, and place their sketches on her desk.

Aomine found himself both relieved and disappointed when class was over and Kise began to redress himself as his hoard of adoring fans made their way to the platform. The sight pissed Aomine off and he cast a dark glare among the scene and watched with disgust as the girls all touched and flirted with him.

"Ladies please stand within a distance of 5 feet of Kise-san, and refrain from any form of physical contact." Midorima interjected. The group appeared slightly offended, but backed away regardless. For once Kise was relieved to have such a strict body guard, and thanked him with a brief nod before giving an apologetic smile to the cluster of girls, and heading towards his aunt's desk.

Aomine and Kagami were the last ones to finish putting away their supplies, neither of them speaking in the process. Both their minds were jumbled messes of odd thoughts and emotions.

As they were headed towards Alex's desk to turn in their assignments they noticed Kise looked even more forlorn than he had when class began. They had to talk to him, but how could they do that with his damn body guard around?

Alex seemed to sense the atmosphere and with a gleam in her eye, she set stride towards Midorima.

"Thank you for taking such good care of my nephew Mr. Midorima."

"It is my duty to the Akashi house hold, no thanks is needed."

"But you see how some of my students act around him? I was thinking, would you mind showing me a safe escape route for Ryouta in case of an emergency? I'm worried one day his fans may go too far, and I would hate to see him get hurt." She looked up at the man with pleading eyes.

Unable to reject his charge's family and a woman none-the-less, Midorima complied and led her towards the back of the room.

"I have already discovered several escape plans for Kise-san throughout the class period, and…"

As the two were trailing further away, Aomine turned to the blonde.

"What the hell is wrong? Why is that guy tailing you today? Did something happen?"

Kise looked up, alarmed at Aomine's questions and the concern lacing his voice.

"Wait so you guys aren't mad?"

Puzzled red eyes met blue and both stared to meet shocked gold.

"Why would we be mad at you?" Kagami asked.

"Well I thought you guys would think it was annoying Midorimacchi was with me and would find it troublesome to be friends with a model and…" The blonde trailed off.

"Are you an idiot?"

Kise stared.

"We're friends with you because we like you. It doesn't matter what you do, your pretty ass is stuck with us now, so get used to it, okay."

Kise's eyes lit up and a wide smile spread across his face.

"Oh Aominecchi, you're so sweet!"

Before Aomine could even blink, he felt a force overtake his entire body, and slowly realized he was compressed into a tight hug by the model himself.

Not used to the physical contact and feeling heated from the scent of the other male's intoxicating scent ( _cherry blossoms?_ he thought), Aomine casually shook Kise off and cast his gaze to the side in an attempt to hide his flush features.

"Yeah whatever" He mumbled and tucked his hands deep in his pockets.

Not at all slighted by his removal, Kise kept his gaze on the tanned male and his once bright smile became a sly smirk.

"So Aominecchi thinks I'm pretty, ne?"

Aomine's hands stayed put in his pockets and began to clench in upon themselves.

_Great going baka, what a stupid choice of words!_

Upon noticing the display of affection from the corner of his eye, Midorima abandoned his presentation to Alex, and made his way towards Kise's side.

"Hhmm" He coughed. "Kise-san it is time to go, you have a photo session in twenty minutes."

"Ok Midorimacchi, but would you mind getting me a drink from the vending machine down the hall please. I'm feeling very parched." And he rubbed down the length of his neck in order to convey his message.

The gesture made Aomine wonder what it would be like to glide his own hands along that long, smooth, flawless neck and he felt a shiver at the thought.

Displeased with the request, but not one to refuse, Midorima simply adjusted his glasses before nodding and heading out of the classroom towards the machine.

Kise turned back to Aomine and Kagami in a hushed whisper. "Ok so I want to give you guys the number to my personal cell. It's the one I only use for close family and friends, and it's also the one Akashi doesn't monitor."

Aomine whipped his phone out with such lightning speed it caught the blonde and red head off guard. Becoming quickly embarrassed by his impulsive reaction, he put on an air of indifference and waited for Kise to continue.

The model slightly flushed in return and tried to retain his thought process.

"Yeah…um, it's 555-833-1221."

Kagami was typing in the rest of the digits into his phone when the sound of footsteps began to head towards their direction.

"This way we can talk whenever we want!" The model smiled.

His smile was so wide and genuine, with his cat- like eyes bunched shut from the sheer amount of joy radiating from within, it made Aomine's heart…flutter? _Wait what the hell!_

"Kise-san, it is time to go." Midorima ascended to the blonde's side and handed him a can of green tea.

"Thank you Midorimacchi! Well I'll see you guys later!" And he tossed both boys a wink from over his shoulder as he walked away.

Aomine and Kagami immediately looked away from each other, afraid to display the red covering their cheeks. After regaining his composure Aomine grabbed his things and began walking towards the door as Kagami followed suit.

**~ ~ XxXxX ~ ~**

Their walk continued in silence, until Kagami asked out loud, "So what do you think of him?" The name did not need to be specified.

Aomine wasn't exacly sure how to answer. He liked the kid, that much was obvious, but there was still something different about these emotions that he couldn't quite place.

"I think he's pretty cool, and a really awesome basketball player. Not to mention he's a model so he could probably introduce us to hot chicks." The last part left a nasty taste in his mouth.

Kagami simply nodded his head in reply.

"What about you?"

Kagami also did not know how to answer, so he managed with the best answer he could.

"I think he's pretty cool too, but I'd like to get to know him more."

Shocked at Kagami's honesty, he felt ashamed he was unable to be sincere with his own emotions.

Felling overwhelmed, Aomine wanted to get away.

"Ya know I'm not really up to practicing today. I'll catch you later." And with that he set out in a light jog for the bus stop ignoring the burning pain within his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter was uneventful and a little short, but this is needed for the plot progression.
> 
> Also I don't know about other countries, but here in the US we don't have bells in college to tell us when a class begins or ends so I have no idea why I put that in here, but it is what it is lol.


	6. Proposition

Aomine felt restless and didn't quite know where to go. He had to admit he felt bad for ditching Kagami and sort of felt bad for ditching practice, (not that he really needed it), but he wanted to just think for a second. It was then he suddenly found his body moving of its own accord, and just decided to follow it and see where it would take him

After walking a half an hour he reached an empty basketball court near the park and began to shoot a few hoops, all the while his mind was preoccupied with images of the attractive blonde. Damn, what is wrong with me? he thought, before letting out an exasperated sigh and heading towards a large oak tree located in the field next to the courts.

Aomine sat for what seemed like forever, and reflected on the few things he did know. For one, Kise was definitely different from anyone he had ever met before, that was a fact. For another, the model had such a strong effect on him even though he couldn't grasp why.

Granted, the boy was very physically appealing, with his alluring eyes and his smooth milky white skin, along with his toned abdomen and soft pink lips; it was enough to drive the tanned male crazy! Yet there was something greater than his sex appeal, it was something deeper, something Aomine didn't care to think about too hard.

Frustrated with his own unanswered questions, he whipped out his phone and began a new message.

**'Hey.'**

Not really expecting a reply, he tossed the phone into the grass next to him and was about to lay down for a quick nap when he noticed the screen light up.

**'Name and password please (⌐■_■)**

_What the hell?_

**'Um…basketball?'**

Boy did he feel dumb.

**'Haha OMG! I was just kidding I wanted to see what you would say! (*^▽^)ﾉｼ))**

That sneaky shit!

**'Shut up! You're such an annoyance!'**

**'Ah Aominecchi's so mean ~ ｡･ﾟﾟ･(д)･ﾟﾟ･｡**

_How did he know it was me?_

**'How did you know it was me?'**

**'I told you I only give this number to family and close friends, and seeing as I don't have many close friends and it was a new number, I knew it had to be you (*^▽^*)**

**'What if I was Kagami?'**

**'Ne, Kagamicchi would be too shy to text a new friend so suddenly ~'**

The fact that he knew them both so well in such a short amount of time was kind of comforting, and it made Aomine feel a slight warmth spread within his chest.

**'Whatever, can you just stop with those stupid faces?'**

**'What's wrong with my faces ( ・◇・)?**

**'They're stupid like you.'**

**。ﾟ(ﾟﾉД｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡**

Aomine snorted a laugh. **'So what are you doing?'**

**'…um…nothing.'**

The lack of obtrusive emoticons did not go unnoticed.

**'So you're telling me _the_ Kise Ryouta does nothing during his spare time?'**

Kise could almost feel Aomine's smirk through the text.

**'Well, no…it's…just kind of embarrassing.'**

Now he had to know.

**'Come on we're friends aren't we?'**

**'Aominecchi will just laugh at me ~'**

**'No I won't, I promise.'**

**'…fine, if you must know I'm applying a cucumber face mask while watching the Lakers and the Heat game.'**

**'Hahahaha are you serious! What are you a girl?'**

**'I knew Aominecchi would laugh at me ~'**

He figured that explained his flawless skin.

**'I'm just kidding, I already told you we were friends no matter what so I don't care if you like to put vegetables on your face or whatever.'**

**'It's not like that!'**

Teasing the blonde could be so much fun.

**'Yeah, yeah, so who's winning?'**

**'No, Aominecchi laughed at me.'**

**'I told you I was kidding, what more do you want ya big cry baby?'**

**'I want Aominecchi to apologize ~'**

Aomine couldn't remember the last time he apologized to anyone, and here this kid was almost demanding one!

He chuckled lightly to himself.

**'Fine if I apologize will you stop whining?'**

**'Maybe ~'**

**'…fine I'm sorry for laughing at you, now get over it already!'**

**'Aww Aominecchi cares (´▽ﾉ｀*)ノ**

**'Whatever, so now will you tell me who's winning?'**

**'Guess ~'**

The playful banter was making Aomine feel light and he soon forgot about his earlier troubles.

**'I'm gonna go with the Heat.'**

**'Ah Aominecchi's so smart! You should become a professional basketball player someday too. Then I could watch you on tv ~'**

**'That is the plan, but ya know you're actually pretty good, I think you could compete against me if you trained some more.'**

**'Do you really think so! That would be awesome!'**

**'Yeah it would be, that's why you should get started so I don't leave your pretty ass behind.'**

**'…so Aominecchi still thinks I'm pretty (◕‿◕✿)**

_Damn it!_

**~ ~ XxXxX ~ ~**

Kagami was a little worried about Aomine. He had never seen the blunette skip practice before and he appeared to be in such a hurry that it didn't make sense.

He arrived home about an hour ago and decided to take a shower and then make himself some dinner. While he was waiting for his meal to finish he figured he would call Aomine and make sure he was ok.

"What an idiot," Kagami voiced out loud in the quiet apartment as he searched his bag for his phone. Just as he was about to select Aomine's number from his contacts, he came across Kise's recently added one. On impulse, Kagami began a new message.

**'Hello Kise.'**

Shit what was he doing! It was night time now and the blonde was probably doing homework or hanging out with friends; something more important than answering lame text messages.

**'Hi Kagamicchi! I was hoping you would message me!'**

_How did he know it was me?_

**'How did you know it was me?'**

**'I told you I only give this number to family and close friends, and seeing as I don't have many close friends and it was a new number, I knew it had to be you (*^▽^*)**

**'What if I was Aomine?'**

**'Aominecchi texted me earlier this afternoon so I already have his number ~'**

He what! He had to admit the thought that Aomine spent the afternoon texting Kise while he was hard at practice pissed him off. Was that why he was in such a hurry? And what could Aomine possibly talk about with a guy like Kise? The two probably have nothing in common!

**'Oh. Well did he seem ok to you?'**

**'Hm? Yeah Aominecchi was fine, but sometimes he can be so mean 。ﾟ(ﾟﾉД｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡**

Kagami figured Aomine would tease the blonde, but he knew that's just how he was with people he liked.

**'So what is Kagamicchi doing? ∩( ・ω・)∩**

The random question made all thoughts of the blunette leave his mind.

**'I'm waiting for my dinner to finish, so I thought I'd say hi.'**

**'Ohhh, Kagamicchi can cook! How cool! What are you making?'**

**'Nothing special just come curry.'**

**'Really? I love curry! I'm actually watching a cooking show right now about Indian food and it's making me hungry ╥﹏╥**

**"You watch cooking shows?'**

**'I enjoy cooking shows very much! I just wish I could cook like them (っ˘̩╭╮˘̩)っ**

**'It's not that hard, anyone can cook if they just try.'**

**'Say do you think Kagamicchi could teach me how to cook?'**

_He can't be serious, he probably has people who can do all the cooking for him, but I'll just go along._

**'Sure, I wouldn't mind teaching you one day.'**

**'Yay so it's a date! (/^▽^)/**

_A what!?_

**~ ~ XxXxX ~ ~**

Kagami was a little apprehensive to meet up with Aomine the next day. Skipping practice wasn't like him at all, and then finding out he spent the afternoon texting Kise kind of pissed him off.

_What is going on with him?_

He tried not to think about it too much and continued towards the gymnasium. He had been feeling really stressed the past couple of days so he was hoping maybe extra practice before his classes would help relieve some tension. When he opened the door he was surprised to see the blunette already warmed up and completing a ridiculous dunk.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Aomine turned to the red head with a quizzical look and an exposed abdomen, choosing to use his shirt as a towel to wipe away excess sweat that had accumulated across his forehead and jawline.

"Well I figured since I missed practice yesterday I would come in a bit early today."

Kagami nodded his head. _Makes sense,_ he guessed.

"What are you doing here?" Aomine asked.

It was his turn to explain himself.

"Well I've been feeling a little stressed out lately so I thought some more practice and exercise would help calm me down a bit."

Aomine was never too observant when it came to other people's emotions, but Kagami was his best friend and he could tell that something wasn't right, that something was off. But he didn't just want to come out and ask him, he figured if the red head wanted to tell him that he would have already. Plus they were guys. _Guys don't do that kind of thing right? He mentally sighed. Should I just ask him?_

"Hey, Kagami _"

"I knew I'd find you two basketball heads in here."

Both boys turned around in time to see Alex casually close the heavy gymnasium door with the heel of her boot and saunter up to the center of the court where they were currently frozen in place.

"Sorry for interrupting, but I have a proposition for you two."

"A proposition about what?"

"Oh Taiga I love it when you're confused, you're so cute." She chuckled softly. "But to be honest you two are failing my class."

"WHAT! It's only been like three weeks, how can we be failing your class!"

"Please lower your voice Mr. Aomine, the gymnasium tends to echo and hearing your words one time is enough thank you."

It took all Aomine's strength to not throw a fit right there.

"How can someone be failing a drawing class?" Kagami asked. "I thought art was based on the artist's 'interpretation,' so how can ours be wrong if that's the best we can do?"

"You're not failing because you're drawing skills are lacking, you're failing because there's not enough _emotion_ in your work, that's all."

"Not enough _emotion_?" Aomine mimicked. "What the hell is that supposed to mean!?"

"That's what you two need to learn. And what did I say about yelling!"

Aomine growled and aggressively tossed the basketball in Alex's direction, not intending for any impact. He was surprised when Alex was able to catch it in one swift motion, and she smirked at his wide eyed expression.

"My proposition is that you two allow my nephew to serve as your individual private tutor. He has a way of bringing out the best in people ya know."

With a delicate flick of her wrist, the discarded basketball flew smoothly through the net.

Aomine and Kagami were speechless.

"But he says it'll cost you…"


	7. Something More Important

The conversation with Alex in the gym that morning stuck with Kagami all day.

_**"Wait so Kise agreed to help tutor us?"** _

_**"But what do you mean it'll cost us?" Aomine had asked, looking slightly afraid of the professor's answer.** _

_**"Well you boys can ask him yourselves this afternoon, all I know is I haven't seen him this excited in a while."** _

Not wanting to think about it too much, Kagami finished drying his hands and exited the school restroom to find Aomine waiting for him.

"I wonder what pretty boy has in store for us today."

After receiving no reply, Aomine glanced at the red head from the corner of his eye. _That's right, I never did get to talk to him this morning._

"Look Kagami_"

"Hey Aominicchi, Kagamicchi!"

_Again!?_

They both turned to see Kise lightly jogging in their direction with his green haired attendant close behind. The look on the bespectacled males face was that of pure annoyance. Aomine smirked.

"I'm glad I was able to catch you guys before class."

"Yeah us too. There's something we want to talk to you about." Kagami started.

"Hm what about Kagamicchi?" The blonde gave him his full attention.

"Alex came to the gym this morning and told us that you had agreed to, um… tutor us_"

"But she said there was some sort of catch." Aomine finished.

"Well I felt bad when my aunt said you two weren't doing very well in her class and being the current subject of your classes' studies, I wanted to offer my assistance. That's what friends do!" Kise responded with a warm smile that caused both their stomachs to flutter.

Kagami coughed. "Thanks that's really nice of you, but please let us do something in return."

"Oh don't worry." Kise cooly replied. "That's what I had intended."

**~ ~XxXxX~ ~**

_Shit! He'll be here in 15 minutes!_

Kagami finished tidying up his already clean apartment and decided to lay on his bed in order to ease his current anxiety.

When he thought about it, it wasn't a bad deal.

In order to have Kise help him pass his aunt's art class, Kagmi had to give the blonde cooking lessons. Sure sounded easy, but the thought of him and Kise alone in his apartment made him slightly nervous. He knew there was something different about the way he felt whenever the model was around, and when he wasn't around he was still always present in Kagami's thoughts.

He sighed. _What is wrong with me?_

Just as he was finally beginning to relax the doorbell rang.

Kagami jolted off the bed and sprang towards the door, stopping to adjust his shirt and take a deep breath before he turned the handle.

"Kagamicchi!"

Kagami could feel the blonde's warm, gold sunshine filling every inch of his apartment with his dazzling smile, and he couldn't help the heat that also enveloped his face.

Before he was able to offer a greeting in return, he noticed a flash of green in the open doorway.

"Akashi-san would prefer Kise-san to remain in the vicinity of your apartment only, and that he have his phone available at all times." Midorima stated sternly. "I will be back around evening to take him home. He is in your care Kagami-san." He gave a slight bow before adjusting his glasses and heading towards the elevator.

"Bye Midorimacchi, see you later!"

Kise closed Kagami's door and remained still near the entrance.

Kagami then noticed the blonde had brought a handful of shopping bags with him and pulled himself out of his sunny haze.

"Oh um can I help you with those?"

"I'm fine Kagamicchi, but thank you. So shall we get started?"

"Yeah sorry, uh you can place the bags here and then we'll begin with washing our hands. Hygiene is a very important factor when it comes to cooking."

The blonde readily placed the bags on the counter and followed Kagami towards the apartment's average sized kitchen. He copied the red head's movements and pulled up the sleeves on his jade green v-neck so as not to get them wet, and proceeded to the sink to clean up.

"I didn't know what you wanted to make today so I just brought a whole bunch of ingredients." He smiled. "I hope that's ok?"

"Yeah that's fine, you didn't have to, but thanks. And since it's your lesson I figured we could try and make one of your favorite dishes."

The blonde's entire face lit up and Kagami was speechless.

"I'm so excited!"

**~ ~XxXxXx~ ~**

They eventually decided on one of Kise's simpler dishes of pasta and chicken parmesan, and set to work. Kagami first showed Kise how to boil water and add a little vegetable oil to prevent the noodles from sticking together and then rinsing off the chicken in the sink for bacteria.

The blonde was not too thrilled with the chicken's slippery texture and the red head found the reaction cute. He tried to hold back his chuckles so as to not offend his friend, but when Kise accidently let a piece slip through his hands and onto the floor, they both burst into fits of giggles.

Watching the blonde intently, Kagami was curious about something.

"If you like cooking so much, how come you never learned how to cook before?"

"My parents were never home often. They're both work-a-holics so we'd always order in, or sometimes we would have a cook prepare meals for us." He continued to cover the chicken breast in flour and then douse it in bread crumbs as he spoke. "I would watch them sometimes, but my parents wanted me to concentrate on my studies so they told me not to bother with such stuff. They figured if I was successful enough I could always hire someone to do the cooking for me, but I never agreed with that. Cooking seems so fun and interesting; it would be terrible not to try it!"

Kagami processed this new information and was a little taken back by the model's disheartened story, but Kise's determination and perseverance made his chest swell with pride.

"Well things are always better when you learn them yourself, so I'll make sure there's no slacking in my kitchen."

Kise mocked a solider position and gave the red head a salute. "Yes sir!" Another onslaught of laughs ensued.

The rest of the process consisted of a flour fight and eye injuries from bread crumbs, yet the final result was deemed acceptable by the master himself.

The blonde urged the power forward to sit down so he could be properly served.

"It's okay Kise I can get my own plate."

"No I want to bring it to you, so you can enjoy the full benefits of being a good teacher."

The red head was grateful his back was towards the blonde so his blush would go unnoticed.

Kise quickly arrived back to the table with two full plates of noodles and chicken and placed the larger of the two in front of Kagami. He took his seat across from the red head and by the looks of it, Kagami felt as if they were almost on a date.

They each began to dig in to their food, but not after the model had taken a picture of his, of course. Then again, Kagami figured it made sense considering how excited the blonde was to learn how to cook in the first place.

"Mmm this is really good Kagamicchi!"

Kagami was surprised it actually was! Although he had directed and supervised the blonde the entire time, the majority of the work was done by him alone.

"Yeah it is! You're a quick leaner."

"Well I had a good teacher."

A calm quiet overcame them and they finished their meals in silence until Kagami thought of something.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, how were you able to come over today? I for sure thought your scary manager guy would have you locked away for the weekend."

Kise paused a while before answering, taking his time to gather his thoughts. Kagami didn't know if that was a good or bad thing, but the long stretch made him uneasy.

"At first Akashicchi was against the idea of me coming over to your place, but Alexcchi told him it was school related and told him how important it was to help my friends maintain their studies. He finally agreed, but I still don't think he was too happy about it."

He chuckled, but there was no mirth to be heard.

Feeling guilty for bringing up such a sore subject, Kagami got up from his seat and grabbed both his and Kise's plates from the table and walked them over to the sink. The red head's movement caused Kise to break from his dark thoughts, and once again a smile adorned his flawless face.

"Ok," Kagami began, changing the subject. "I helped you, now it's your turn to help me."

Kise laughed, this time it was genuine.

"Just so you know I'm a tough teacher."

**~ ~XxXxXx~ ~**

"…so this is what you call _tough_?"

"Think of how much more difficult it is to concentrate when the person your drawing will be the person who judges you."

"Well when you put it that way…"

"Ready? GO!"

The blonde scurried into the corner of Kagami's living room couch and began to get comfortable.

To be honest, Kagami was a tad nervous.

With no one else to occupy Kise's attention, it was just the two of them; face to face; in his apartment; at night; _alone_.

He gulped.

The blonde had tried to make things easy for him and simply sat cuddled up in the corner of his large sofa, still attired in his flour stained apron and pink handkerchief. Without thinking, he had crossed both arms and rested them atop the arm of the couch and casually rested his head. He was humming a soft tune which both hypnotized Kagami and motivated him at the same time, and just as soon as he was devoted to his pencil and sketchpad, he noticed the model slightly nodding off to his own music.

With the blonde asleep, Kagami felt less pressure and was able to analyze him without feeling guilty of staring. Once again it was evident how attractive Kise truly was, even after a day's worth of cooking he was still…

"Beautiful." Kagami breathed and was thankful the blonde only twitched at the noise, but did not wake up.

Kise's light breathing served to guide Kagami's pencil smoothly across his paper, allowing each line and mark to come together in a harmonious tune. He could feel all the tension he had built up leave his body and something new, something much more airy, took its place, and this new feeling was indescribable. It was like he was walking on air, or basking in the warm glow of spring sunshine.

He thought back to his first impression of the model and his impression of him now. So much has changed. Yes, he still found the blonde painfully attractive, but there was more to it. Looking at his dirtied apron and tied back bangs, Kagami felt an abundance of emotion in this one peaceful moment and he began to realize something more _important_.

He never wanted this feeling to go away.

The soothing atmosphere lasted the rest of the night and Kagami did not once take his eyes off the blonde, fearing his new found peace would disappear if he did.

Just as he was finishing up, he noticed a pair of golden eyes staring back. _Shit he's awake!_ And he clumsily dropped his gaze and his pencil.

Kise shot up in his spot and began to stretch his arms above his head, while suppressing a mild yawn.

He then rubbed his eyes sleepily and shyly stole a peek at his flustered friend.

"Um, how long have I been asleep?"

"About an hour or so." Kagami answered as casually as he could.

Upon peeking at the red head, Kise caught a glimpse of his sketchpad.

"Oh did you finish your drawing! Can I see? Pleassseeee…"

"Sure if you want."

The red head placed the sketchpad on the coffee table between them and turned his position in the other direction. Kise scooted to the edge of the couch and reached over to pick it up.

Lightly drawn was the model himself, snuggled up in his friend's couch, looking so serene and tranquil in his dirty apron and feminine handkerchief. Except instead of the dim streetlight peeking through the curtains that was currently behind them, his friend had crafted a bright ray of sunshine cascading down upon the blonde's sleeping form, radiating a soft and glistening glow.

"Beautiful." He said more to himself than to the red head across from him.

At the similar word choice Kagami finally turned to face Kise and their eyes met. Kagami felt a surge of electricity erupt in his veins when a loud knock resonated from the door.

"That must be Midorimacchi." Kise remarked quietly and began to remove his apron and grab his coat off the edge of a chair.

Kagami rose as well, his legs feeling a bit shaky, and headed towards the door.

He was greeted by the green haired guard with an irritated scowl.

"Kise-san it is time to leave."

"Ah Midorimacchi! Did you miss me?"

"No Kise-san, now come Akashi-san is waiting."

Kise jutted out his bottom lip in a fake pout. "No need to be mean Midorimacchi! I'm coming, I'm coming."

He continued to pout as he adjusted his coat and then turned to Kagami.

"Thank you for today Kagamicchi, I had so much fun! I hope we can do this again sometime soon." The power forward found himself in another embrace with the blonde, except this time his brain did not malfunction, and he was able to properly reciprocate. His muscular arms wrapped around the models slim waist and pulled his body closer.

"Thank you." He whispered in the blonde's ear, causing his face to heat up from not only the intimacy of the action, but also the close proximity of the other's warmth.

Kise released his hold on the red head and returned his sentiments with a genuine smile, before heading towards his green guard and waving from the doorway.

"See you later Kagamicchi." The door was closed and the blonde was gone.

All the sun and warmth was absent from Kagami's apartment and life was cold once again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is Kagami's payment! (Not bad if you ask me ;p)
> 
> Aomine's debt shall be next…


	8. Inner Demon

_Hmm what time is it?_

Aomine reached for his phone on his bed side table to read it was only 8:00 in the morning.

_Who the hell would be here at this time!?_

He groaned and slowly got up from his cocoon of blankets and dragged his feet to the door.

"Good morning Aominecchi! Time to rise and shine, here I even brought breakfast!"

Kise casually strolled into Aomine's apartment dressed in blue basketball shorts and a plain white t-shirt carrying a pink smoothie in each hand.

"You do know it's 8 o'clock on a Sunday morning right?"

The blonde gave a smirk "Aww and here I thought you'd be happy to see me."

"Ah whatever."

The blunette frowned and reached for one of the smoothies when he noticed the green haired bodyguard in the doorway.

"What, is he coming with us?" He growled, hoping the slight disappointment he had accidently let slip would go unnoticed.

Kise was oblivious to Aomine's question, too busy looking around the cozy apartment, while Midorima simply smirked and gave Aomine one of the darkest glares the power forward had ever seen.

"No Aomine-san I will not be accompanying you and Kise-san on your outing today, but I will have you know that Akashi-san is aware of his whereabouts at all times, so please ensure he is safe throughout the day if you value your existence."

_What!_

Before Aomine could comprehend the bespectacled man's warning, the door was closed and he was out of sight.

"You know, you're place is actually a lot cleaner than I thought it would be."

He turned around to see the blonde looking around his small apartment as if in search of something important.

"Why are you acting so surprised?"

"I don't know, it's just Aominecchi doesn't care about anything most of the time so I thought you'd be neglectful when it comes to your household chores as well, but I guess I was wrong." The blonde seemed a little bit satisfied with his new discovery and it made Aomine a bit happy to know his good impression may have gone up in the model's eyes.

He turned and began heading down the hallway towards his room.

"Yeah well that's what you get for judging a book by its pages, or something like that. Anyways let me go get changed and we can head out."

Kise couldn't help but giggle at Aomine's slight miswording and sat down on his plush couch making himself at home.

Once in front of his closet, Aomine actually found himself contemplating on what he should wear. What was he, a chick! _Who cares what the hell you wear you're just going to play some basketball, it's not important!_

That had been his arrangement in having Kise help tutor him to pass his aunt's art class; he had to play basketball with him.

Aomine loved basketball so he wasn't complaining, and the blonde wasn't so bad himself, not to mention it was some alone time with him, away from his crazy aunt, away from the flock of female classmates following him around, and to be honest, even away from his best friend Kagami.

Just him and Kise. Maybe that's why he felt like this day was different and maybe that's why he was here standing in front of his closet for **ten whole minutes** now, deciding on which damn pair of basketball shorts to wear!

"Fuck it!" He growled and grabbed the closest pair of shorts to his left and then a random shirt to go with it.

Kise was sipping on his smoothie while attempting, quite graciously, to spin the basketball on his pointer finger when Aomine came down the hallway in his red and black basketball shorts and black t-shirt.

"Aw Aominecchi looks so cool!" Kise gushed and Aomine headed towards the door in order to avoid the blonde's stare.

"Shut up and lets go!"

**~ ~XxXxX ~ ~**

They arrived at the courts a little around 9:30 or so, happy that being a Sunday morning it was vacant.

"Ok so we'll start off with some basic moves and then we'll go into our one-on-one."

Aomine began with some of the more difficult moves to pull off during a match and then even showed Kise a few of his particular favorites that he had come to master as his own over the years.

The blonde watched in eager anticipation, but it was the evident determination displayed through those piercing amber eyes that made Aomine feel alive in a way he had almost forgotten. He could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins and he was ready to let loose.

Their warm-up did not last long and soon the two were entranced in a steely one-on-one match.

Kise was sharp and fast and Aomine found himself in awe. He had played with Kise once before, but this time was different. If it had been anyone else they wouldn't have been able to even touch the blonde, but Aomine had basketball in his blood and he was familiar with the blonde's quick moves, recognizing many of them as his own. The rate at which Kise had obtained and replicated those moves was alarming and Aomine could feel his excitement growing with each play.

After a few more rounds, the blonde was out. "Ah I'm so tired."

Being September the weather was still warm and the suns bright rays were not making things any better.

Kise began walking to the shade of an oak tree nearby and found refuge underneath its cool shelter.

Aomine followed and stood above the blonde with a smirk on his face.

"What giving up already?"

"We played four games in a row _" The blonde responded in between intakes of air, trying to catch his breath.

" _ In which I won all four times." He teased and continued to smirk down upon the model.

Kise pouted and closed his eyes, still slowly gasping and panting for air.

The scene from Aomine's few was rather arousing, what with a flushed and sweaty Kise panting underneath him. He had to look away! But instead he crouched down next to the model and was tempted to lick the bead of sweat that was sliding down towards his jaw when the blonde opened one of his eyes.

"What are you doing Aominecchi?"

"Ah, um, there's a bug on your head."

"WHAT! A bug! Get it off, get it off!"

And Aomine suddenly found himself with his back against the ground and a very frightened Kise on top of him.

The blonde had his fists balled up in Aomine's shirt while is head was being rammed into his chest.

The site was too cute, even for Aomine, and the blunette let out a load and boisterous laugh.

Kise popped his head out from against the ace's broad chest and released his vice grip from his shirt. "That's not nice Aominechhi! Bugs are gross!" And his signature pout came back full force.

At the blonde's defensive reaction, Aomine laughed even harder.

Kise continued to pout, but the rumble coursing through the other boy's body due to his continuous deep laughter made him somewhat amused, and he too joined in the fun.

The blonde's melodious laughter broke Aomine from his unusual state, and he couldn't help but stare. Everything about him was beautiful right now. From the way the sun's rays were hitting his golden strands, making them almost as bright and dazzling as the younger boy's smile, to the utter joy he was exuberating with his phantom song. It was enough to take Aomine's breath away.

When Kise realized the blunette was no longer laughing with him, he stopped, surprised to find himself the object of the ace's interest. He titled his head to the side as if in a silent question.

"Come on, how about we go get some ice cream before we head back to my place?"

"Oh ice cream sounds good!"

Aomine helped Kise up, considering he had somehow ended up in the power forward's lap, and they started in the direction of Aomine's apartment.

He let Kise choose the ice cream flavor and wasn't surprised when he decided on strawberry, seeing as it just seemed like something the blonde would like.

They talked mostly about sports on the way back to the apartment and a little about school and Kise's modeling career. Aomine also took this as a good time to tease the blonde, as per usual.

"So do you ever get to model with hot girls?"

"I model with many pretty girls if you must know." And the blonde gave a small huff iterating his annoyance with the question, "But I also model with many guys too." He added with a sly smile.

"Tch"

"Ahh, is Aominecchi jealous?" He poked the grumpy blunette with his now bare popsicle stick.

Aomine frowned and pushed the offensive stick away. "Why would I be jealous of a bunch of girly men in makeup? I could kick their asses in basketball any day."

Kise just sighed and rolled his eyes.

**~ ~XxXxX ~ ~**

Once back in the tidy apartment Aomine began to make his way to the bathroom. "I'm gonna take a shower, I'll be right out."

In the meantime Kise made himself comfortable on the couch and started flipping through some magazines he had found on the coffee table.

When Aomine emerged from the steamy room a few minutes later he headed towards the kitchen to grab himself a dink.

"I left you a towel and some clothes."

The blonde rose from his spot on the couch, a soft blush shading his cheeks. "Oh, like in the bathroom…for a shower?"

"Of course, why else would I leave them in there? You don't want to stay all sweaty while we watch the game do you?"

Kise smiled at Aomine and headed in the direction of the vacant bathroom. "Thanks Aominecchi, I won't take long I promise!"

"Yeah whatever." He grumbled and brought his drink to the sitting area and turned on the tv, flipping through the channels until he found the game he had been waiting for. Just as the pre-game special was ending, Aomine realized Kise still wasn't out of the shower.

"Oi Kise hurry up! You're gonna miss the tip-off!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming."

The blonde hurried his way into the sitting room wearing a pair of the blunette's gray sweatpants and plain black v-neck. Both particles of clothing were about a size too big for him, and they hung loosely on his slender frame. Aomine found himself, for the second time that day, extremely aroused,

"I didn't miss anything yet did I?"

While making his way over to the couch, Kise held the bottom of the v-neck with his teeth and tied the drawstring of the sweat pants tightly together, giving Aomine a nice view of his muscled abdomen. It took all of Aomine's strength to divert his attention back to the television screen and away from the tempting model before bad things happened.

"Ah, no, you didn't miss anything"

"Great!"

And he plopped himself on the couch, too close for Aomine's liking.

The whole first half of the game went by in a blur. Kise had talked up a storm of creative commentary, while Aomine simply grunted or nodded in compliance, too distracted by the blonde's electric presence to pay any real attention.

When the buzzer rang indicating the half time break, Kise grabbed the remote and turned the television off. With no more distraction Aomine turned to see the model adjusting his position to face the power forward.

"Are you ready to begin your lesson?"

Oh yeah, there was a reason for all this today. And here Aomine had completely forgotten and had felt as if they were already a _

"Yeah I guess."

The blonde's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Ok, first you'll need some paper and a pencil."

The blunette shot the model a look of indifference and shrugged. "Don't have any."

"What! They how do you ever do your homewok?"

"I don't." He smirked and threw his arms behind his head and propped his feet on the coffee table in front of him. The image of the baffled blonde made Aomine remember how much fun it was to tease him, and the sensation was making him feel light and more comfortable.

"What are we going to do with you?" The blonde retorted and Aomine just scuffed.

"Ha, beats me."

Not one to give up, Kise searched the small apartment area for anything remotely useful.

"Ah here we go! You have way too many magazines here, I'm sure we could tear a page out of one of them to use, and I think I have a pen somewhere in my sports bag."

Before Aomine could even reach out to stop him, Kise had already brought the pile of sports magazines onto his lap and was quickly skimming through them. Many of them had scantily clad women on the covers, which had nothing to do with sports in Kise's opinion, but then again they were Aomine's after all. If it was one thing he had learned in the month or so he had known the blunette, it was that Aomine liked women with very large breasts. To be honest the appeal was lost on Kise, but he wasn't one to judge.

When he finally reached the end of the large pile, he stopped, his mind a whirl of complete confusion. For some reason underneath the immense amount of sports and risqué magazines, was his latest modeling book. His eyes continued to stare back at him from the cover of the glossy magazine, and he kept his eyes locked on his mirrored reflection afraid to look anywhere else.

_Fuck!_

"It's not mine."

He lied.

"Oh." Was all the blonde could manage to say.

"It's Satsuki's. She left it here about a week ago so I just put it with the rest of them. I was gonna throw it out, but it's not worth hearing her complain."

There was nothing but silence, and for a while Aomine thought Kise had seen through his lie, but the blonde's sudden spurt of laughter made him give an internal sigh of relief before situating his trade mark frown upon his face.

"Haha for a second there I really thought it was Aominecchi's! Ah that was a good one!"

Aomine didn't see what was so funny about it, but as long as the blonde believed him, he didn't care.

"It just proves what they say about models being dumb I guess."

"Hey! Model or not, I'm not the baka failing an art class."

Aomine smirked and reached for the remote next to the blonde's lap, accidently touching his thigh with the back of his hand.

At the minor contact both boys gave a slight jolt and quickly turned their attentions back to the game.

"Calm down pretty boy and just watch the rest of the game."

Kise gave the bluenette a mild glare and cast his glance back to the screen.

The blonde's retreat made Aomine feel a bit smug and he casually slung his arm over the top of the couch where Kise's still damp golden strands were resting.

They stayed in that comfortable position for a while, but it wasn't until the beginning of the fourth quarter that Aomine felt a sudden weight on his chest and noticed the model had fallen asleep.

If Aomine had thought the flushed Kise at the courts this afternoon was tempting, he had no words to describe the amount of temptation he felt as he watched the blonde sleep. His pink lips were slightly open, breathing in small breaths of air, causing a warm and familiar stir in the pit of Aomine's stomach, and he knew he wouldn't be able to contain himself for long.

The loud knock on his door was both a blessing and a curse. Its continuous echo ripped Aomine away from his unsafe thoughts, and awoke the model from his slumber. When Midorima entered the apartment, Aomine was honestly relieved.

"Come Kise-san, Akashi-san is waiting for you."

Kise slowly opened his eyes to find Aomine no longer on the couch, but instead next to the door as if waiting to quickly usher his guests outside.

"Ah sorry Aominecchi I guess I must have fallen asleep. We'll have to finish your lesson another time."

Midorima was quick to cut him off. "You can make future plans once Akashi-san has gone over your new schedule and approved your free time, but nothing beforehand. Understood?"

The body guard left no room to argue and Kise kept his eyes on the floor as he made his way to the door.

Not liking to see the blonde upset and feeling overwhelmingly protective, Aomine decided to give the green haired man a challenge.

"Whatever, we'll definitely make plans to hang out again soon no matter what. Besides, you still haven't beat me yet."

Midorima shot the power forward a sharp glare at his confident declaration, making a mental note about Aomine's character to conceal to his superior.

Kise's eyes met Aomine's and the amount of light and joy immersed in those alluring orbs, made Aomine swell with satisfaction.

"I won't lose next time Aominecchi!" And he gave one last bright smile before waving and exiting the apartment with his sour looking guard in tow.

Closing the door swiftly behind them, Aomine remained still for a few moments, running the day's events through his head.

"What an idiot."

The blunette turned off the tv and grabbed the model's photo book from the table before heading back down the hallway to his room.

He needed some way to release this new inner demon that had transformed, and he knew only the image of a certain blonde would be able to sustain it.


	9. Darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the comments and kudos, I really appreciate it :) Sorry I'm slow when it comes to updating this story, but rl can get pretty hectic sometimes...
> 
> Anyways, I hope you all enjoy ~

Akashi was seated inside of the polished town car, watching Kise closely as he descended from the apartment building.

Something was off. He could feel it.

The blonde appeared in the vehicle and sat opposite himself, an indifferent expression adorning his flawless features.

"I assume you had a pleasant day Ryouta."

"Yes, I had a lot of fun playing basketball with Aominecchi."

Although his expression remained stoic there was a light in Kise's eyes that Akashi had not seen in many years.

Oh. So that was it.

"I see. Were you able to help him much with his artistic studies?"

The blonde's eyes casted downward and Akashi inwardly smirked.

"That was the purpose for your visit today, was it not?"

"Um, yes we briefly mentioned the topic, but unfortunately we weren't able to get much work done."

"Oh? And what made you two so preoccupied that you dared to neglect your studies?"

Kise scratched the back of his neck and gave a slight shrug of his shoulders.

"We were just so busy having fun I guess."

The lack of response from the red head made Kise uneasy, and he chanced a glance to the seat across from him.

Akashi's stare was still focused on the blonde, but it appeared his train of thought was somewhere else.

The constant stare made Kise feel uncomfortable and he reverted his eyes to the bright screen of his phone. It wasn't very late and he figured Alex would still be up.

_**Hey there's something I want to talk to you about, are you free for lunch tomorrow ~** _

She was surprisingly quick to respond, and after receiving her overly anxious agreement, Kise gave a wary smile and tucked his phone back in his bag.

"You know if there's anything you need to talk about, I'm here for you Ryouta."

His manager's blatant concern snapped Kise out of his thoughts. He was brought back to the time when they were just best friends, with no pressing financial concerns or scheduling deadlines hovering over them. He thought it would be nice if they could go back to those times, and he felt warm with hope.

He smiled at Akashi, a genuine smile, and gave him a wave of his hand.

"I know Akashicchi, you've always been there for me."

His old friend also smiled, although his was slightly more guarded.

He didn't know what was bothering Kise so much, but he would definitely find out.

**~ ~XxXxX~ ~**

Kagami was anxious to see Aomine and see how the blunette's weekend tutoring session went.

He had thought a lot since his own session that weekend, and he knew that his attraction to Kise was deep. He didn't have much experience in the love division, but he felt that whenever he was with Kise things just seemed _brighter_. He never felt so light and content around another person in his life and he never wanted that feeling to go away. He never wanted _Kise_ to go away.

He wanted to bask in the glow that was Kise for the rest of his life.

The romantic nature of the thought made his cheeks flush red, rivaling that of his fiery hair, and he was glad no one was around to notice, that is until he felt a muscular arm being wrapped roughly around his neck.

"Hey man, long time no see."

"Tch, get off me you ganguro." He forcefully grabbed the other boys arm and removed it from himself, breaking free from his friend's hold.

"Calm your tits Bakagami, I didn't mean anything by it. What is up with you today?" The bluenette's expression was highly annoyed, but Kagami recognized a hint of concern somewhere within his deep scowl and immediately felt bad.

Realizing he may have been a little harsh, he dragged his fingers through his spiky mane, and released a sigh.

"Sorry you just caught me off guard. Anyways how was your weekend?"

He could tell Aomine wasn't very satisfied with his vague response, but the term 'weekend' clicked somewhere in his mind, and all his concern disappeared.

"Dude it was awesome! Kise is a beast on the court, I think he might even be as good as you, if not better." He smirked.

His remark stunned Kagami. Never had he heard Aomine speak so highly of another basketball player, yet he had nothing but praise for Kise. His playing must be something extraordinary for Aomine to include him on the same level as themselves, and the spark in his eyes as he continued to explain their game highlights to Kagami was something he had never seen in his entire twelve years of friendship with the ace.

He felt goose bumps prickle his skin and a nauseous feeling overcome his stomach, but he couldn't help but stare at his over excited friend.

He looked happy. He looked alive. He looked in _love_.

Kagami stopped.

"You ok? You look like you're about to throw up" The blunette made his way and stood next to his friend.

No, he was **not** ok.

But before he could respond he heard footsteps approaching from behind.

"Oh, hey there Taiga!"

Alex walked towards the two boys, carrying a stack of papers and a light blue smoothie. Kise was close behind her with a pink smoothie of his own.

As the blonde duo crept closer Kagami felt uneasy, but as soon as Kise was by his side the warmth that exuded from his person put Kagami's nerves slightly at ease.

"Hey Kagamicchi! Are you ok? You don't look so good."

Aomine grabbed the pink smoothie from the model's grasp and began to take a sip.

"Yeah he's been weird all morning. Maybe you gave him cooties over the weekend or something and now he's gonna die."

"I did not give him cooties! Guys can't give other guys cooties Ahomine!"

Aomine laughed and continued to drink down the blonde's smoothie.

"Either way, you gave him something and now he's gonna die."

"I didn't give him anything! And give me back my drink!"

As the blonde reached out his hand to take the smoothie back, the bluenette smirked and held the drink as high as he could above his head, making the blonde pout and begin to jump in attempts to reach it.

The scene was comical and Kagami would have been laughing if he wasn't so being busy feeling jealous.

Alex rolled her eyes and walked behind Aomine, giving him a light smack to the back of his head.

His usual scowl was restored and he turned around to glare at the courageous art teacher.

"Mr. Aomine how old are we."

"Not as old as you, ya old broad" He muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Tch, whatever" He moved to give the blonde back his drink, but not before taking one last huge sip.

"Aominecchi's so mean!"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll get you another one later."

The prospect instantly brought the blonde back to his bubbly nature, and he smiled as he finished the remains of the strawberry goodness.

"Mr. Aomine I would like to have a word with you. Ryouta, why don't you take Taiga to the nurse's office, he's looking worse."

Kise's concerned eyes traveled back to his sickly friend and he agreed.

Quickly dispensing his now empty cup into the trash, he made his way over to Kagami and pulled his arm over his shoulder while wrapping his own arm around the red head's waist, allowing him full support.

"Come one Kagamicchi, I'll help you to the nurse's office."

Kagami felt heat rise to his cheeks at the close and intimate contact, but he figured they would all brush it off to his not feeling well.

As they began their walk to the nurse's office looking like a complete couple, Kagami saw Aomine tense and his scowl deepen. His glare went from Alex to Kagmi and he was pretty sure the only reason he was still alive was because Kise was by his side.

**~ ~ XxXxX ~ ~**

Once they arrived at the nurse's office, Kise did all the talking. He explained how his friend wasn't feeling very well and needed to lay down. The nurse smiled and directed them to a room with a cot and a small sink in the corner and asked if they need anything else. Kise thanked her and told her they were fine.

Kagami seriously had no idea what they were doing there, but he was happy to be with the model alone without any sign of the color blue anywhere. Kagami stared; well not _anywhere_.

"Hey when did you change the color of your earing?"

The blonde was startled by Kagami's random outburst and simply stared at him as the question was processed.

"Oh, um well, last night I guess." He responded, his face displaying a red tinge, before it disappeared and he was smiling brightly at Kagami.

"I'm surprised Kagmicchi noticed! Do you like it?"

 _No_.

"Yeah it suites you."

As much as he hated to admit it, the color blue did look good on him.

"Thanks! But you look really flustered so why don't you lie down." Kise gently pushed Kagami down on the cot and for a moment he felt himself get excited at the action. But then the blonde got up and made his way towards the small sink, filling a container with cold water and grabbing one of the wash cloths in the bin next to it.

He sat himself on the edge of the cot and began to dip the cloth in the cool water before squeezing it and placing it lightly on Kagami's forehead.

The red head closed his eyes as Kise began to pat down the cloth and brush his dark fringe out of his face. The motions were soothing and Kagami almost found himself drifting off to sleep when Kise began to softly hum a familiar tune.

He had heard it somewhere before, but he couldn't place the name.

The feel of nostalgia and Kise's soothing presence made Kagami feel daring, and after this afternoon, he just had to know.

Having had enough, he gently grabbed the blonde's hand that was casually caressing his bangs, causing the other to stop and look at him in confusion.

"Kagamicchi are_"

Kagami let the words die in his mouth as he forcefully covered his soft lips with his own.

Indeed they were soft. More soft than Kagami had imagined. And the electric current pulsating through his entire being as he moved his lips against the model's velvet ones, was exhilarating.

He wanted this moment to last forever, but he had never considered that maybe his companion didn't feel the same. That was, until it ended.

Much too soon, he lips were being removed from their heaven on earth, and he found himself dumfounded.

"Kagamicchi." A voice quivered, and it took Kagami a moment to realize it was Kise's.

 _Shit_.

"Kise I'm sorry! It's just,…it's just that,…I love you!"

All the oxygen must have been sucked out of the room because Kagami couldn't breathe and his mind was going black.

He didn't want to process the emotions he saw swimming in those hauntingly shocked amber orbs.

 **Why?!** **_Why! Why! Why! Why!_**

"Kagamicchi." His name was spoken again, except this time it oozed of guilt.

He knew. _Damn it!_ He just _knew_.

"Kagamicchi,…I'm in love with Aominecchi."

He heard his name a third time before submitting to the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me! I'm sorry, but it had to be done. As much as I love our boys I am not into polyamorous relationships, even if they are fictional. Before I started this story I knew I was going to have Kise choose between them, but fear not! Kagami will not be in darkness for long. I love him waaaaayyy too much!
> 
> But yeah, there is more to come and I hope those of you who are not considering killing me, will stick around :D
> 
> Until next time!


	10. True Form

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the kind words and feedback from the last chapter! 
> 
> This chapter is a little short, but it's setting the path for more to come. I know the last chapter upset a few people, and I apologize for any sadness I may have caused, but I still stand by my decision and I hope you all will stick around to see where things go! (If not, that's ok too~)

Kagami's mind went completely blank, unable to process the crippling confession he had just heard moments ago. He stared at the model, whose eyes mirrored his own; both pairs wide with shock and pain. The corners of the blonde's cat-like eyes were glistening with tears and Kagami found himself wishing he could run for miles upon miles and never have to see those beautiful eyes again.

The red head quickly stood from the cot and sprinted towards the door, ignoring the outstretched fingers that reached for his arm and the sad voice that called his name.

His only concern was escape. Escape from those golden eyes. Escape from those soft lips. Escape from that joyful laugh. Escape from everything.

He had made it outside to the school courtyard, but in his current state of desperation he had failed to notice the heavy foot steps behind him, and practically fell to the ground when a rough hand laid a firm grip upon his shoulder.

"Hey where are you going?"

The deep baritone voice was radiant heavy with concern and confusion. It was the last voice Kagami wanted to hear at the moment, and in order to control his growing rage and frustration, he kept his back towards the looming figure behind him.

"Let me go." He growled through gritted teeth.

He felt the grip on his shoulder soften a bit at his uncharacteristic behavior, but then return with even more force than before.

"What the hell is wrong with - ?"

Kagami's knuckles throbbed from the amount of pressure exerted upon them from making contact with the blunette's face. A quick tinge of regret had him standing in shock for a split second, before his legs once again took control over his body, and had him running away from it all.

_What is wrong with me?_

He didn't give himself the time to think the answer through, not stopping till he reached the seclusion of his small apartment and locked the door securely behind him, falling to the ground completely breathless.

**~ ~ XxXxX ~ ~**

"Kagamicchi, wait!"

Although Kise was quite fit from maintaining his modeling figure, he was no match for the speedy red head.

He had finally made his way out onto the courtyard and caught a glimpse of the fiery locks when a sight of blue came into the mixture.

Kise stopped mid-way, thinking about his previous confession in the nurse's office.

_I'm in **love** with Aominecchi._

The reality of it made his heart flutter.

_Wait, should I tell him?_

_No he doesn't have to know._

_But I kind of want him to know._

_What if he -_

Kise was suddenly ripped from his inner ramblings when he heard the heavy impact of Kagami's fist making contact with Aomine's face.

All the air seemed to leave his body and his chest was a jumble of conflicting emotions. Pain. Anger. Sadness. Confusion. Nothing made sense at the moment and he was at a loss of what to do.

It wasn't until Kagami broke out into his record breaking run again, that Kise's own legs began to move in the direction of the floored bluenette and his boisterous slew of profanities.

**~ ~ XxXxX ~ ~**

"Ah man whath the fuck is wrongth with that thlittle prick!"

Kise tried hard to maintain a straight face, but the puffiness of Aomine's swollen cheek, along with his slight lisp, was making it very, _very_ , hard.

Aomine noticed the blonde's struggle and rolled his eyes in frustration and embarrassment.

"Haha ok, ok, I'm sorry Aominecchi but you should hear yourself right now!"

They were now in the nurse's office, except this time it was Aomine who was laid upon the small cot.

 _This is where the whole thing started._ Kise thought to himself.

Aomine sensed the sullen atmosphere surrounding the blonde and decided to speak up.

"Isth something wrong?"

The question made the model's eyes alight with amusement and another melodious chuckle bubbled up from within his chest.

Although Aomine usually detested being laughed at, he figured it was worth it as long as the blonde was no longer sad.

"Haha it's nothing. Oh hey! I know what we should do?"

Aomine quirked one eyebrow up in question, cause there was no way in hell he was gonna talk again.

"We should get some ice cream! It will make you feel better, plus the cold might help with the swelling."

The blunette grunted his agreement and got up from the cot to stretch.

Kise thanked the nurse for all her help that day, and they both exited the building. They walked side by side in a steady rhythm and Kise liked the feeling of being so casually close to the ace.

Aomine looked down at Kise from the side, enjoying the blonde's quiet company, when he noticed a smirk form upon his angelic face.

"By the way Aominecchi, don't worry I'll order your ice cream for you."

And another song of laughter erupted.

**~ ~ XxXxX ~ ~**

Kagami couldn't remember how long he sat there.

He didn't feel like doing much of anything, and just continued to play the afternoons events in his head, over and over and over again. Each time made him feel more miserable than the last.

He had _confessed_ to Kise.

He had _kissed_ Kise.

He got _rejected_ by Kise.

Kise loves _Aomine_.

Aomine is his _best friend_.

He _punched_ his best friend.

The world was mocking him and he couldn't do anything about it.

He sighed and reluctantly got up from his space on the floor and walked over to his couch.

There on the coffee table in front of him was the picture of Kise he had drawn just a few days ago, and the mere image of the blonde angel tore through his chest like a thousand piercing daggers.

How could he have been so naïve? Kise was no angel. He was nothing but the devil basked in false light.

The deranged thought settled well with him and before he knew it he had turned his sketch book to a new page and began to draw.

Kagami drew for what felt like hours, not stopping until he felt satisfied.

At about one o' clock in the morning he finally put the sketch book and his colors down. He flexed his hands muscles to make sure they still worked, and glanced apprehensively at his creation.

Kise was once again the main subject, except this time there was no peace or contentment or tranquility whatsoever.

There was fire. Scorching red and orange flames that looked hot to the touch and stretched to the skies. Amongst the fierce blaze was Kise all decked out in black in a form fitting one piece. He had on high healed leather boots that strung up to his thighs and matching black polish adorning his nails. He had an almost evil smile on his face, displaying sharp like fangs, ready and waiting for blood.

This was the _true_ Kise.

And for the first time in a long time Kagami cried

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for all the support! Please let me know what you all think!


	11. Uninvited Guests

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slow updates! But thank you all for the kudos and reviews, I really appreciate it :)

It had been three days since Kagami had punched him and ran off. He had thought about showing up to the red head's apartment and demanding some sort of explanation, but there was something holding him back. He knew his friend too well, and figured he needed some space. When he wanted to talk he would come find him…or so he hoped.

The three days without the red head were not lonely though, and were filled with special one-on-one practices and trips to the local convenient store for ice cream. Although it had only been three days, Aomine could feel himself falling into a routine; one that was different and new, but comfortable in its own way.

Kise had asked about Kagami a few times, and he felt bad when he never really had a sufficient reply. Apparently the red head was ignoring him too. How anyone could ignore the bubbly blonde was beyond his comprehension, but such a fact worried him even more. _What is wrong with that idiot?_

"Good afternoon class! I have an exciting announcement for today!"

Alex skipped into the classroom in one big motion, causing the power forward to put all thoughts of his friend aside and give her at least half of his attention.

"Golden Dynasty modeling agency will be funding our universities annual art show this year! Mr. Seijuro Akashi, the founder and CEO, will be present at the show and he will be giving one lucky student a scholarship to Rose Haven University, one of the nation's top art schools!" She practically squealed. Aomine winced and tried to cover his offended ears.

Everyone else in the class appeared to be just as excited as Alex, and began talking to one another about the amazing opportunity that had suddenly been presented to them.

Aomine could care less about the art show, or the scholarship, but the name of the CEO guy sounded awfully familiar. He knew he had heard it from somewhere before, be he just could not remember…

"How is our Taiga doing?"

Aomine looked up when he felt his hands being removed from the sides of his head, and gave Alex a scowl. "I don't know actually. That jerk's been ignoring me for the past few days. Kise too…" He added, just for measure.

The professor's spirit seemed to dim, and she cast her saddened gaze to the floor. "Well, when you get a hold of him could you please tell him about the art show? From what Ryouta's told me, I think it would be a great opportunity for him." And she quickly walked back to her desk where she was bombarded by many eager students.

_Kise? What has he been telling her about Kagami?_

The thought of the blonde talking about Kagami with his family sent a tinge of…jealousy? No, he would never be jealous of Kagami. They were best friends, what was there to be jealous about? Either way, the annoying sensation continued to spread throughout his body and he suddenly found himself in a foul mood. It wasn't until Kise walked in that he let some of the tension he had built up reside.

Still, the blonde was quick to detect something was off.

"Ah Aominecchi, you seem to be more grumpy than usual. Is everything ok?"

"Hmm." He grunted in return.

"Well did you hear about the art show? Akashicchi thought it would be a good idea to do something for the school's art community, and he wants me to help him pick the winning student."

The mention of the other's nickname makes Aomine suddenly alert, and he shoots Kise a suspicious glance.

"No wonder that name sounded so familiar, that's your creepy manager guy right?"

Kise released a nervous laugh, and directed his eyes towards the floor. "Well he's not _creepy_ exactly, but yes that's him."

"Hmm." Another grunt, and from the looks of it the blonde could tell the ace was deep in thought.

"Are you sure everything's ok?"

The blatant concern in the model's voice angered Aomine. Why was the blonde so concerned for him all of a sudden? Shouldn't he be asking about his precious _Kagamicchi_?

"Tch, why do you even care? Shouldn't you be worried about Kagami instead?"

The harsh tone made Kise flinch, but despite noticing the reaction he couldn't force himself to stop.

"Your aunt told me what a big fan you are of him. Why don't you two just get a room already and leave me alone."

_Fuck._

Kise's slap was powerful, and the sting that spread throughout his entire body was like nothing he had ever felt before. The whole class was mute in shocked silence, witnessing the tragedy that was Aomine's stupidity.

The heartbroken expression on Kise's face was too much to bear and he felt a small wave of relief wash over him when the model turned and sprinted out of the classroom.

Trying to quickly distract the class from her nephew's personal drama, Alex brought out an elaborate 18th century dress from one of the many cabinets and strategically hung it from the ceiling in the center of the room. "Seeing as we have lost our model for the day, this classic Victorian ball gown will serve as our artistic muse instead."

Without pressing further the rest of the class quietly got to work, while Alex shot the ace a pure look of disgust and left the classroom in search of her nephew.

Never had Aomine felt as stupid as he did now, and he sat there in silence for the rest of the class feeling nothing but the burn of Kise's hand on his cheek.

**~ ~ XxXxX ~ ~**

Kagami awoke to an unexpected knock on his door. His original instinct was to answer it, but the sudden thought of it being Kise made him a worried mess.

_Should I get it?_

_But what if it's him?_

_What if it's not?_

_Then I would look rude._

_But what if it's him?_

_What if he's mad?_

_What if it's Aomine?_

_What if it's him?!_

He stopped in the hallway leading to the door and inhaled a few deep breaths to get the blood flowing back to his brain again, but before he could think of another scenario, he heard the familiar sound of his lock being undone and the door swinging open.

_What the...?_

Red was the first thing Kagami noticed about his surprise intruders. The color red and then the color green. The sight of the blonde's modeling manager and childhood friend, along with his trusty body guard, entered Kagami's small apartment unannounced and completely unfazed.

"Shintarou, could you please prepare us some tea."

"Right away Akashi-san" Replied the taller gentleman, as he made his way to Kagami's kitchen.

 _What the heck is going on here?_

Although he did not exactly know him very well, Kagami was not fond of the fellow red head. His presence was cold and somewhat calculating, watching everything with those icy heterchromatic eyes.

"Taiga, please have a seat."

So many questions were swirling in Kagami's mind, like why was he here, and how did they get a key to his apartment? But he figured if he wanted any answers, he would have to comply. He reluctantly made his way to the living room and took a seat on the couch. Akashi remained standing, but upon Kagami's arrival, he made himself comfortable on the arm chair located to the right of the couch.

No words passed until Midorima returned with two cups of tea and placed them down on the table.

The words that came out of Akashi's mouth had Kagami in a nervous sweat.

"I've realized Ryouta has been rather upset lately. Would you happen to have any idea as to why that may be?"

_Shit! They're here to kill me and get rid of the evidence!_

Kagami did not reply. What was there to say really?

Akashi took notice of his lack of a proper answer, and eyed him curiously. Kagami felt the other's eyes on him, and he began to nervously fidget with one of his throw pillows.

"You do understand that Ryouta is precious to me, correct."

Still no reply.

After a few more moments of silence, Akashi sighed and directed his gaze towards the coffee table where something quite interesting caught his eye.

"Shintarou please retrieve that article there beneath those magazines and bring it to me."

Before Kagami could stop him, Midorima had already successfully possessed the desired item and handed it over to the shorter gentleman.

Akashi's eyes stared intently at the art work before him, his face void of any emotion.

The panic having finally set in, Kagami abruptly stood from the couch and attempted to grab the sketch away from the other red head's grasp. "Stop, that's mine!" He growled, but the perpetrator was unfazed.

"How much?"

"…What?"

"How much do you want for it.?" There was no jest in the manager's voice or eyes. He was truly serious.

"I would like to purchase this work from you, how much would you like for it?"

Kagami stood over the shorter male, unable to process the question. He slowly turned his gaze to the object of desire and felt a familiar fire begin to burn within his chest. Why did the drawing mean so much to him? But still, selling it didn't feel right. Deep down, despite the hurt and humiliation Kagami had felt upon confessing to Kise, his feelings for the blonde had not changed. Kagami was still in love with him. The realization only fueled the raging fire and he came to a decision.

"How much are you willing to pay?"

**~ ~ XxXxX ~ ~**

Akashi exited the apartment in high spirits.

_Well that had gone better than expected._

"Shintarou when we arrive home, please make sure to have that piece properly framed. I have big plans for it."

Midorima silently nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to tell me what you all think!


	12. Of Pain and Glory

Kise's photo shoot had been rescheduled for tomorrow afternoon instead of today so he had been hoping to play some one-on-one with the blue haired ace after classes. But after his hurtful remark Kise just wanted to be alone. He knew Aomine was not the smartest when it came to certain subjects, but was he truly so dense as to believe his feelings of friendship for Kagami were something more?

Kise balled his fists in frustration and continued on his way to…to…where was he going exactly?

After making his dramatic exit from his aunt's class, he didn't know where to go, so he had just continued forward in the same direction for about the past thirty minutes. He now stopped and took in his surroundings. The area seemed vaguely familiar and he realized he had been there before, but the name of the area was lost to him. He noticed an empty basketball court a few blocks away and felt a sudden surge of energy and excitement overtake him. He set into a slow jog towards the courts with thoughts of the tanned ace egging him forward.

**~ ~XxXxX~ ~**

Once he was sure Akashi and Midorima were gone from the apartment building, Kagami quickly grabbed his gym bag and made his way outside. He needed some air and wanted to put together the odd string of events that had just occurred. Ok, so Akashi and Midorima had somehow broke in to his apartment. _Yes, that did happen_. Then Akashi had tried to talk to him about Kise, in which he refused to answer. _Yes, that happened too_. Akashi had noticed his seductively sinister drawing of Kise and paid him a decent sum in order to keep it for himself. _Wait, what?_

Kagami let out a deep sigh and used his pointer finger and thumb to pinch the bridge of his nose in order to help his concentration. _Why on earth did I do that? And why on earth did he want it so bad?_ Nothing was adding up, but he figured there was nothing he could do about it now. Releasing another sigh, he hurried his pace and tried to ignore the puzzling thoughts circling in his mind. When he finally reached the basketball courts a block or so from his apartment, he felt the whole week's tension disappear.

When he turned the corner and caught a flashing glimpse of gold, his heart stopped. There on the courts was Kise.

Kagami instantly started panicking, debating whether or not he should leave, but when he chanced another look, the blonde seemed a little down and despite his amazing lay-ups there was something off. The kind and neutral part of Kagami wanted to offer some friendly assistance and cheer the guy up, while the hurt and embarrassed part of him wanted nothing more than to turn around and run away. Still debating on which course of action would be the best, the model's eyes casually caught his own. Kagami swears he could note the precise moment Kise realizes it's him, when his cat-like eyes turn from initially distant, to sharp and hesitant.

_Shit._

For a while both of them stayed in shocked silence until Kise decided to break the spell.

"Oh, hi Kagamicchi. I didn't notice you there." He nervously brought a hand up to the back of his neck and began to rub the sweaty skin. "Um how's it going?"

Kagami could feel the awkward tension surrounding them, and wanted nothing more than to be back in his apartment. He knew he was going to have to face Kise again someday, but he wasn't expecting it to be so soon. Yeah it had been about three days or so, but still. He wasn't over the embarrassing events that had occurred at their last meeting, but in spite of his hurt ego he could tell the blonde was being honest when he had asked how things were going for him. Heck, he even looked a bit concerned if Kagami was seeing things right. Sucking up his injured pride, Kagami decided now was the time to make amends.

"Uh yeah it's going alright." Trying his best to soothe his nerves, he copied Kise's motions and brought one hand to the back of his neck as well.

Avoiding direct eye contact, he noticed that the blonde was alone on the court. Spotting the ball that had rolled near his feet he picked it up and tossed it back to its owner.

"So you want to play some one-on-one?"

Upon seeing the blonde's breathtaking smile and renewed spirit, Kagami knew he had made the right decision.

**~ ~XxXxX~ ~**

They played four rounds and decided to call it a tie. Kagami had to admit, Aomine was right when he said that he and Kise were on the same level. At times he forgot he was even playing a model, and thought he was another college player like himself. The amount of progress the blonde had made in just one month was both thrilling and terrifying, and Kagami could feel his veins coursing with excitement.

Stopping to catch their breaths under a nearby tree, they rested in silence, both enjoying the feeling of exhaustion only an intense game of basketball could bring. This time it was Kagami to break the barrier. "Hey do you maybe want to get some ice cream."

At the mention of ice cream the blonde's entire being perked up, like a puppy being offered a treat. Kagami couldn't help the laugh that escaped him; Kise was just too damn cute.

Kise seemed to take pleasure in this, and he began to laugh as well. His was much more light and musical, which only served to raise Kagami's spirits even more. After a few more tufts of laughter, they both stood up from their spots on the ground and gathered their belongings. Kagami wanted Kise to choose which ice cream place they went to, but he insisted it didn't matter to him so they ended up going to whichever place was closest.

After Kise finally decided on which flavor he wanted, (strawberry, of course) they headed over to the counter to pay. Kagami's hand was slapped away by the blonde as he handed the cashier his money. "No Kagamicchi, it's my treat." Kagami could feel his face catching on fire by the sentiment and hoped it wasn't too late to chalk it up to their recent game play.

He noticed Kise glance at him from the side, but the blonde said nothing. _That was close_ , he thought, as he felt the heat ebb away in thanks to his cool treat.

They exited the store and had been walking in a comfortable silence for a while until they decided to take a seat on a nearby bench. Neither of them said anything, but Kagami felt a strong need to at least apologize for his rude behavior earlier that week. He was just about to open his mouth, when he heard a sniffling sound next to him. "I'm sorry Kagamicchi." He turned to see tears trailing down the model's face and watched as he quickly tried to wipe them away. The sight hurt him, and it hurt him even more to know that he was the cause.

Without giving it a second thought, Kagami turned and pulled the model into his arms. At first he felt the blonde get tense, but soon his tears stopped falling and he relaxed into his embrace. He wasn't sure how long they remained that way, but he didn't care. He wanted Kise to know that it wasn't his fault and that he was here for him. He could tell the model understood his action without him having to say a word, but he still wanted to say it out loud.

"Look Kise, I'm the one who should be apologizing, you didn't do anything wrong. I was hurt and well, embarrassed when you rejected me before, and all I could think about was running away. I acted like a complete jerk, and I shouldn't have ignored you. I was so busy feeling bitter and sorry for myself that I didn't think about how my actions would affect others." He sighed. "I'm really sorry."

They were both quiet for a while and once he was sure his composure had returned he began to break away from the embrace. Needless to say he was shocked when Kise pulled him back in. "It's ok Kagamicchi, I can understand why you were upset." He began to rub soothing circles into the red head's back causing an involuntary shiver to rivet through his spine. "I was just scared that you were so mad at me that you were going to stop being my friend. The thought of losing you…it's something I can't handle. You're my best friend." Kagami's heart stopped. He had never been in so much pain in his entire life.

Kise continued to hold Kagami closely for a while longer, and then slowly let him go. When their eyes met again, Kise's were more clear and determined, while Kagami's were a bit shadowed and distant. Before Kise could say anything Kagami stood from the bench and gave an attempt at what he hoped was a convincing smile. "It's getting late we should start to head home." Kise also got up from the bench and offered a bright smile in return. "Thanks for today Kagamicchi." This time Kagami's smile was genuine. "Yeah I had fun. We should do it again sometime." As they began their journeys home, Kise began to tell Kagami about the school's art show and how everyone was really excited about it. The mention of anything art-related left a bad feeling in the pit of Kagami's stomach, but he tried his best to ignore it and gave the animated blonde his full attention. Little did they know, they had both gained the attention of someone else.

~ ~XxXxX~ ~

Aomine didn't notice them walk into the convenient store, being much to engrossed in the latest issue of _Sports Illustrated_ in his attempt to forget about the day's events.

_Way to go Ahomine! You always have to screw things up don't ya?_

He gave a low growl and shook the displeasing thoughts from his head. He felt terrible for how he had treated Kise earlier, and spent the rest of the afternoon trying to find him so he could, maybe, sort-of, not really, yet possibly…apologize. Since when was that word added in his vocabulary!?

The sound of a familiar voice brought him back to his senses and he glanced around the small store to find the source. He didn't have to look far, because a few feet in front of him were Kise and Kagami purchasing some ice cream. He was too distracted by the mere presence of the blonde that he hadn't heard exactly what was said between them, although he did notice his friend's face turn a shade of red that could rival that of his hair. _What the hell could that idiot be freaking out about?_ Aomine was once again pissed off.

He waited for them to leave the store and quickly purchased the magazine, sticking his face back in its pages as he made his exit. Luckily for him they didn't go far, and he casually strolled onto the sidewalk path opposite them which was lined by large hedge bushes. Crouching behind the tallest one he could find, Aomine made a discreet hole in the patch of leaves to get a clear view.

At first it didn't look like much was going on and he suddenly felt silly for getting so upset, but when he saw the model begin to cry, he about jumped over the hedge ready to defend him in any way possible. As he began to clench his fists in preparation for his attack, the sight he saw next had him at a loss for words. Was…was Kagami hugging Kise? The thought of anyone having the nerve to touch the blonde set his blood boiling and it took all his strength not to pound his friend into a pulp. _Calm the fuck down! Do you want him to think you're some kind of physco?_ Trying to ease his rising temper, Aomine focused his glare to his friend and tightly clenched his jaw.

The hug had lasted way longer than he was comfortable with, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it. Kise was still mad at him, and deep down he knew that he deserved it.

After what felt like an eternity, the two got up from the bench and began to walk down towards the bus station. Aomine watched as Kise began to talk quite animatedly to Kagmai about some art thing. The bluenette couldn't help the smile that overtook his face, and continued to watch the excited blonde until they were no longer in sight.

He then slowly got up from his crouched position on the ground and stretched his arms above his head, his smile still intact. He knew he'd have to apologize to the blonde soon, but he wanted to make sure he did it in a way that would make him just as happy as he had been with Kagami a few moments ago. Maybe he could do something for him at the art show? _You can't draw you idiot!_ "Ah whatever." He grumbled to himself and finished his stretching before he began in the opposite direction towards his apartment. Either way he'd think of something, and Kise would love it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad Kagamicchi and Kise are friends again! Well, at least to Kise they are ;p Don't worry Kagami's a big boy, he'll figure things out. As for Aomine, well I was just proud he didn't get into any physical altercations…for the time being.
> 
> Anyways let me know what you all think :D


	13. A New Challenge

Aomine was not surprised to see Kagami show up for classes the next day. He figured it had to do with a certain blonde and that part kind of annoyed him, considering he had yet to talk to the blonde himself after his comment the other day. He gave the red head a quick once-over and admitted he looked much better than the last time he had saw him, although there was still something off.

As close as they were and for as long as they've known each other, they never went too deep when it came to their emotions. They are simply able to tell when the other is upset and silently offer their presence as a form of consolation if the other needs it. This is how things have always been. So when Kagami had finished talking with Alex and made his way over to Aomine he realized there was a small part of him that hoped his silent offer was actually considered for once. He was still confused as to what happened, and even before he messed things up with Kise the blonde was mum on the subject. But instead Kagami just took his seat with a loud sigh and met Aomine's questioning eyes with his own.

"Hey man, I'm sorry for the other day. I was upset and I shouldn't have hit you like that."

"I tried to call you ya know."

"Yeah I just had a lot on my mind and I didn't want to be bothered, I'm sorry."

After a few moments of silence Aomine grunted as if in response and slowly got up from his seat to get his and Kagami's supplies for the day. When he returned with an easel in each hand and two drawing pencils in his mouth, his red haired companion looked pleasantly shocked. "Whatever happened to service with a smile, huh?" The blunette gave him a half-hearted glare and spit out one of the pencils in his lap. He then placed the other easel flat down on the floor, before proceeding to set up his own.

"No tip for you." The red head barked and got up from his seat to retrieve his abandoned easel off the floor.

Aomine smirked and watched his friend struggle when a shimmer of gold caught his eye.

Kise entered the art room and was immediately scooped into a tight hug by their teacher. It was clear the model was having trouble breathing, but she pretended not to notice and allowed the hug to continue for a few more seconds before finally letting go.

"Aelxcchi I texted you last night! I'm fine so there's no need to worry or cut off my circulation!"

"I know, I know, but I can't help it! I worry about you."

Aomine could hear their banter from a distance and he slightly wondered if the reason Alex had thought Kise was upset was because of what he had said yesterday. Although the thought of causing the blonde any trouble upset him, there was a part of him that was slightly flattered that his actions affected the model in such a deep way. But he shot a glance at his red haired companion whose face had become completely flushed and wondered if _he_ was the cause of Kise's distress instead.

When he looked back to the model he realized he was approaching the duo in the front, but his eyes were only trained on Kagami. The smile that spread across his features was positively breathtaking and Aomine found himself hating his friend for being the one to produce it.

His assumptions from yesterday were right after all.

"Hi Kagamicchi! I'm so glad you decided to show up today!"

The red head appeared less enthused, but he smiled none the less.

"Yeah I'm feeling a bit better today, thanks. It must have something to do with that ice cream I ate last night."

That only made Kise smile brighter. "Oh so it was the ice cream that helped you out, I see, yeah, makes sense."

"Well the company wasn't so bad either."

"Not so bad, but still bad, right?"

"Compared to the ice cream, it was so-so."

And the two began to laugh.

_What?_

Before Aomine even had a chance to say one word to the blonde, Alex was already making her way to the front of the class ushering him to the staged platform.

"Ok class so due to our interruption from the other day, we are a little behind on our schedule. We have already covered the outward human form in the way of fashion and specific poses, so today we will begin to concentrate on the naked aspect of the human body."

Alex continued to explain the day's lesson, but her words were lost amongst the group of students as Kise was slowly taking off his shirt on the platform behind her. His pants came next and all eyes were on him as he continued to discard his clothing in a calm and slow fashion, as if he had done this many times before. The class remained in a flustered silence as he finished disrobing and carefully settled his folded items on the edge of the platform.

…Oh, was he a _sight_.

Royal blue boxer briefs sat snug on his hips and formed around the curves of his body perfectly. The close-fitting fabric was far from modest and enlightened the class to the model's slightly larger than average package. Needless to say there was not enough oxygen in the room.

Aomine didn't even have to look at his friend to know his face was a whole new shade of red and his eyes were securely fastened to the ground.

That's fine, more attention for him.

As Alex finally finished her instructions, she gave Aomine a small smirk before going back to her desk.

_What was that about?_

Whatever, he didn't have time to question his teacher's odd antics when there was a practically naked model in front of him. And not just any model, it was _the_ Kise Ryouta.

Aomine licked his lips and pretended to get to work, but it was hard to concentrate on anything. He moved his eyes up the blonde's perfect body starting from his long firm legs, and then slowly up to his bulge, lingering there for a bit too long before raking over the smooth expanse of tight abdomen until sliding over the elegant neck to meet gold, fiery, cat-like eyes. Aomine was taken aback by the intense stare being directed towards him and found it impossible to look away.

Kise quickly broke the trance by redirecting his gaze to the back of the classroom, releasing Aomine from his control, but only in the physical sense. The blunette's veins were on fire, similar to how they get during an intense game, but there was something different. He couldn't put it to words but he knew he had never felt this way before. These new emotions displayed a new challenge within him, and he was determined not to lose.

He spent the remainder of the class watching the beautiful boy in front of him and planning his victory.

**~ ~XxXxXx~ ~**

As Kise finished getting dressed he slowly made his way down from the platform only to be greeted by a flock of blushing art students. The young men and young women of his aunt's class had nothing but praise for him, and amongst his polite smiles and sincere 'thank yous' he took notice of a certain blunette making his way over to his aunt's desk. He appeared to be asking a question which had the blonde professor slightly surprised. _Aomine doesn't care about school or his grades, so what could he possibly be talking to Alexcchi about?_

Kise quietly worked his way through the small group of students and had reached his aunt's desk just in time for her to give him a quick glance and then walk away.

_Wait, why is she leaving? Is it because I'm here now?_

Confused by his aunt's actions, he didn't notice the ace inching closer to him with a serious expression on his face.

"Oi Kise, are you going to that art show thing? I think it's Friday."

The question had caught him off guard and it took him a few seconds to reply.

"Um yeah Akashicchi wants me to be there so I guess I'll be going..."

"Great, I'll pick you up around 5."

Before he could say anything else, both Aomine and Kagami were making their way out of the classroom.

_Do I have a date with Aomine Daiki?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the AoKise love begins! I just love these two together so much ~
> 
> Thank you all for reading and please tell me what you think :)


	14. Perfect Copy

Kise had been to numerous events throughout his young life, most of them had to do with modeling, but for some reason there was something about tonight's event that had him feeling…nervous? Excited? Anxious? He wasn't exactly sure. It was hard to think about things like emotions when you had just gone through every single article of clothing in your entire closet and still felt as if you had nothing to wear.

With his lack of impromptu outfit ideas, he sometimes wondered how he could call himself a model.

Mentally berating himself for not purchasing that burgundy cardigan he had tried at the boutique the other day, there was a knock on his bedroom door.

"Come in." He mumbled, still lost in his wardrobe dilemma.

"Not dressed Ryouta? That doesn't seem very like you."

"Ah well I'm just having a hard time deciding is all."

Akashi walked over to the assortment of clothes spread out on the model's bed and scanned them with a quizzical eye.

"You always looked good in blue so why not wear these." The red head made a small pile at the foot of the bed and gestured for the blonde to pick it up.

"Do hurry and get ready. Daiki should be here any minute and I am not in the mood for entertaining."

Although a little apprehensive, Kise picked up the pile of clothes and made his way to the bathroom. It wasn't that he didn't trust Akashi's fashion sense, he was just surprised that he was taking the news of his and Aomine's 'date' rather well. He had mentioned it the night before when Akashi was going over some final plans for the event, assuming Kise was going to ride with him.

At first Akashi had been silent as if needing the time to process that Kise might have made other plans without him, but soon accepted the circumstances. Although he made it be known that he did not approve of any fooling around and expected him to be at the show exactly on time. Kise eagerly agreed, just glad that he would actually get to keep his plans with Aomine. He still had not apologized for the comment he had made the other day, but he was hoping they would be able to resolve those things tonight.

The thought of the tanned male made Kise hurry, and he rushed to get dressed. A few minutes later he stepped out in a pair of smooth black skinny jeans, a plain white v-neck and a crisp navy blue blazer.

 _Not bad_.

He spritzed himself with some of his fancy cologne (that he really only used for special occasions) and put on his favorite pair of black boots.

Akashi nodded his head in approval, applauding himself for having selected such a nice choice, when the doorbell rang.

Kise and Akashi both exited the bedroom and made their way to the bottom of the stairs just as Midorima was making use of himself and opening the door.

There in the doorway stood an uncomfortable looking Aomine, wearing khakis and a black polo with red and black Jordan's.

The fact that Aomine had made an actual attempt at dressing decent was enduring, yet slightly humorous and Kise couldn't help but smile.

Before Midorima or Akashi could say a word, Kise met Aomine at the door and made ready to leave.

"Bye Akashicchi, I'll see you at the show."

"I expect to see you both there on time."

"Sure thing! Come on lets go" And with a quick wave Kise dragged Aomine by the arm and lead them in the direction of the school.

After watching them disappear around the corner, Akashi closed the door.

"Come Shintarou, we must get ready,"

**~ ~XxXxX~ ~**

The walk was quiet, with neither of them knowing what to say.

Aomine had been racking his brain all day on how to apologize, but nothing seemed right. He didn't apologize often, the only person ever being Satsuki and that was only cause he would have to put up with her constant whining, plus she had a mean right hook. Although he had apologized to Kise that one time over text message when he had said he was annoying, they had just been playing around. This time it was different and he had no idea what he was supposed to say to make things right.

He was hoping his plan would work and Kise would be able to hear his apology through his actions.

He hesitantly glanced down to the blonde who was still clinging to his arm.

_But what if he thinks it's lame. What do I do then?_

They were soon approaching the basketball court a few blocks from the school. The same court where they had their study session and Aomine figured it was now or never.

He stopped in his tracks, causing the blonde to stop as well.

"Hey there's actually something I wanna show you before we head over to the art show."

Kise tensed beside him, but nodded his head in agreement.

At his reaction Aomine hesitated before taking the lead in the direction of the deserted courts.

Kise followed behind him, just now noticing the gym bag slung over the tanned males shoulder.

 _How did I not see that before?_ He wondered, and assumed it had to have been due to his nerves.

Once they reached the court, Kise watched as Aomine swiftly grabbed a basketball out of the bag and began to idly dribble it. After a few moments of nothing but the sound of rubber hitting concrete, he began to speak.

"For the past few weeks I couldn't get the picture of you playing basketball out of my head. Your moves are so graceful but fast, like nothing I've ever seen before. I'm not gonna lie, I had my doubts about you, what with you being a model and all, but you showed me your true talent and I was blown away."

He paused.

"So um, I came up with a special move that reminds me of you…I hope you like it."

Kise watched as the blue haired ace dribbled the ball in place and then made a run towards the net. He was fast, nothing but a blue blur, and his moves were smooth, almost as if he were gliding across the court. Kise could not take his eyes off him. Once near the net, he jumped with the ball in hand, but instead of dunking it, he tossed it under and over his legs, grabbing it and repeating the motion quickly before slamming through.

It looked as if he had repeated the motion twice, like some sort of perfect copy. Kise was speechless.

Aomine stood and breathed heavy, keeping his eyes on the court, waiting to hear the model's response. After a long stretch of silence he turned and saw the blonde's eyes fixed on him, his breathing also a little labored.

Without thinking, Aomine walked over, keeping a slight distance between them.

His dark blue eyes met sleek gold, and he slowly raised his hand to brush through the model's hair. He felt his heart rate increase and he was sure he felt Kise's heart beat as well. He then took a deep breath and lightly placed his lips upon the model's. The notion was instantly reciprocated and he was elated to find Kise moving his lips back against his own. Aomine loved how soft Kise's lips were and how sweet they tasted, and he felt dizzy just from the warm flush that was taking over his entire body.

He decided to separate them with a firm peck to the blonde's bottom lip, marveling at the light blush adorning his cheeks.

He knew his apology has been accepted.

"Say, has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are."

Kise snorted and rolled his eyes. "Oh I don't know, only about a million times."

"Wow, what on earth were all those idiots thinking…"

"Ahh, Aominecchi's so mean!"

Aomine laughed and grabbed the playful fist being thrown his way, gently placing a kiss upon its soft surface.

"…Cause you're obviously drop dead _gorgeous_."

Kise's blush returned tenfold and he quickly buried his flushed face into the taller man's chest.

"You are such an idiot." The smile he received in return was the most dazzling smile Aomine had ever seen.

"Come on, we're gonna be late to the show. And then you'll have to deal with Akashicchi."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm not scared of some red haired midget."

"Hey be nice! Besides, we have people waiting for us, so let's go."

The soft hand that fell into his own came as a surprise to Aomine, but he didn't look down. He just held it tightly, marveling in its warmth, and leading it slowly away from the now forgotten basketball court.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading and please tell me what you think :)


	15. And The Winner Is...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! I actually didn't proof read this at all, so I'm sorry for any mistakes and please let me know if you see any and I'll fix it as soon as I can.
> 
> Thank you all again for your kudos, comments, and support, I really appreciate it!

By the time they arrived at the school, the parking lot was full with only a few stragglers making their way into the building. Upon entering the main auditorium, the two were met with an assortment of sounds and colors. There were art works all along the walls and some stand alones spread throughout the center. Students and family members were making their rounds and marveling at the amazing talent displayed in all.

Kise searched the room for his red haired manager or his flamboyant cousin, luckily finding the latter first. She was standing near the far wall in her usual mini shorts and boots with her hair tied up in a messy pony tail. Kise had no idea how she always managed to look so good without even trying. _She's the one who should be a model_ , he thought briefly as he tugged on Aomine's hand, dragging them in the direction of the blonde teacher. As the two got closer he noticed she was talking to someone, that someone being their friend Kagami.

Kise's initial reaction was to release Aomine's hand, not that he was embarrassed, but because he didn't want to add salt to his friend's wound. Although the two had made up and talked it out, he didn't want to seem like he was rubbing his happiness in the others face. What kind of friend would do that? He turned to look at their clasped hands as they continued to make their way to the duo. Aomine seemed to sense what he was thinking so he squeezed Kise's hand in reassurance. The blonde looked up to meet his stare and his heart soared at the strong comfort he found in them. _Kagami is our friend, but he knows how I feel_. Smiling, he squeezed Aomine's hand back and continued to lead the way.

Kagami noticed the two first. He eyes met Kise's gleeful ones and for a second he was just as happy too, until his gaze turned down to see the locked hands and realized that Aomine was with him and that they were indeed a true 'couple' now. He quickly turned away to compose his features. He didn't want anyone to see how hurt he still was by the thought, trying his best to will away all negativity and concentrate on the bigger importance of friendship.

 _Yeah right_.

He sighed and took a sip from his water bottle before turning back to the couple just as they were greeting the teacher in front of him.

"Well aren't you two a sight! Where have you boys been? You're a little late."

"Uh, sorry we got caught up playing basketball." Kise chuckled nervously.

The teacher looked down to notice their united hands and gave the model a big smile.

"Basketball, riiigghhht. That's what the kids are calling it these days?"

"Alexcchi we really were playing basketball, do you always have to be so embarrassing!" His face was bright red and he used his free hand to try and cover up as much of it as possible.

Alex just laughed and rubbed the blonde's arm to calm him down.

Kagami watched the spectacle in silence. He didn't know what to say. He knew this was going to happen and yet seeing it with his own eyes was much worse than he had ever imagined. He took another sip of his water bottle, trying to calm himself down before it seemed like he was wallowing in his own self-pity looking to cause another scene.

"Hey man, what's up?"

Kagami felt a slight relief at hearing the casual greeting from his friend. Despite it all, Aomine was still his best friend, and he knew he was putting forth an effort to make this better for everyone by acting as normal as possible.

"Not much. " He shrugged. "Alex and I here were just talking about this stupid art scholarship she thinks I can get. Like what the hell would I even do with an _art scholarship_?" He sneered, finding the whole thing completely ridiculous.

This in turn caused the other male to give a little laugh and he turned to look at the said teacher in question. "Woman are you serious?! You really think Kagami is cut out for some fancy-smancy art school?! You must be out of your mind."

Kise and Alex both glared at the tanned male, causing his laughter to stop short. Pissing Alex off was one thing, but pissing Kise off just when they were finally back on good terms, was another thing.

"For your information Mr. Aomine, I think Taigia is more than qualified to hold his own in a prestigious art school. With just a bit more help and education I think he would make a wonderful artist."

"Yeah Aominecchi! Besides, have you even seen any of his work? It's amazing!" The other blonde chipped in.

Come to think of it, he hadn't seen any of his friend's work. And despite feeling a bit sheepish at his previous remark, he also felt slightly offended that the others would think they know his best friend better than he did. He knew Kagami since forever and knew for a fact there was no way he'd tolerate being put up in some ritzy art school. It just wasn't his style, although from the comments given to him by the upset cousins, he found his own beliefs being questioned.

"Fine, then why don't you show us some Kagami?"

The red head's eyes snapped up to see his friend giving him one of his trade mark smirks, and could sense the tease in his words.

Kagami wasn't sure how he felt about art or _his_ art in general. It was something he had just learned about himself, and with the help of Kise's inspiration and Alex's class, he actually didn't find it that bad.

For as close as they were, he realized Aomine may have never seen any of his finished assignments He shrugged and began to walk in the direction of the opposite wall. "Doesn't matter to me."

Kise was the first to catch up with him, talking animatedly about how much he loved Kagami's works and how good of an artist he thought he was, while Aomine was close behind just grumbling to himself about the whole thing. The blonde teacher seemed to have other things to do, because she just smiled at them and headed to another part of the room.

They reached their class' display area and Kagami began showing them the various pieces he had done throughout the semester. Aomine was genuinely surprised at the red head's talent, but baffled as to where the hell it came from. _When did he get so good?_

Kagami noticed the other's questioning expression as he continued to scan the few pieces in front of him. "I know you're probably wondering 'what the hell' but to be honest I have no idea myself." He laughed, a bit nervous.

Aomine nodded his head in thought. "Yeah I get it. It's still confusing as hell but it's whatever. Good for you man."

Kagami smiled at his friend's odd way of showing his support, but he understood him nonetheless.

"But the real prize winner is this piece right over here."

Kagami brought them further down their class' wall and stopped right in front of a sad looking blob.

It only took Kise and Aomine a second for recognition to hit and when it did Kagami couldn't help but feel proud of himself.

"That broad actually had the nerve to put this up! Who the hell does she think she is?!"

Kagami and Kise couldn't contain their laughter at Aomine's outrageous reaction to his displayed portrayal of a tree, or rather a 'stump.' He would have torn it down himself had it not been that all the works were covered within glass frames, so he just continued to seethe as his companions laughed and wiped the joyful tears from their eyes.

**~ ~ XxXxX ~ ~**

The trio had made their way around the whole showcase, observing the many works and pieces throwing out comments here and there. It seemed Kagami and Aomine were new to this sort of thing, but considering his profession Kise had been to many art shows and things of the like before. But despite their lack of experience it seemed they all were having a good time.

But Kagami couldn't help but feel a little left out. He knew his friends were making an effort, but their continuous hand holding and their flirty gazes were making him feel not only extremely uncomfortable, but also extremely jealous. He kept on telling himself that they were all friends and that as long as they were happy, he would be happy too. But upon seeing the blonde grace Aomine with one of his dazzling smiles, he felt sick to his stomach realizing that his words were very far from true.

He was thankfully ripped from his painful thoughts as an announcement was made for everyone to head towards the stage area for the award ceremony.

**~ ~ XxXxX ~ ~**

The closer to the stage they got the more packed the room seemed to be.

Kise's eyes scanned the crowd once again for his red haired manager.

_Come to think of it, I haven't seen him or Midorimacchi all night._

The blonde thought that was a little strange, especially considering how adamant the red head had been about his and Aomine's attendance. He knew Akashi was the one in charge of the whole show so he figured he must be busy attending to everything and making sure it all runs smoothly. _He is a perfectionist after all_ , the blonde smiled to himself and followed Aomine and Kagami further to the stage.

Once the room was near capacity, the lights dimmed and the ones on the stage lit up. Akashi, along with Alex, made his way to the center of the stage followed by a loud applause. Most everyone knew of Akashi's modeling company and his major involvement pertaining to the art show. His exclusive scholarship had been talked about all evening, and the excited chatter surrounding the audience was evidence enough of how eager the students were to see who had been the tycoon's lucky choice.

As the clapping was dying down, Akashi's eyes met Kise's in the crowd and the red head gave a small smile and nod in acknowledgment.

_Good. At least he'll know Aominecchi and I really did show up._

"Welcome to this wonderful evening of celebrating the arts. I am the event's host Akashi Seijuro, and I would like to thank you all for joining me here tonight."

Another swift round of applause filled the room.

"Joining me is the head of the university's art department Alexandra Garcia. She will assist me in announcing the evening's winners." He smiled towards the blonde and handed her a set of notecards.

"Ms. Garcia, may you please begin the award ceremony."

Not too keen on being called 'Ms.' Alex gave a strained smile and took the cards, looking down at the first one before looking back up at the audience.

"Certainly."

The awards were called out one by one in order of category. Each person received a warm applause as they made their way to the stage to receive their certificate, or in the case of the first place winners, their medals. Kise could tell Aomine and Kagami were bored with the ordeal and he would have offered to leave if he hadn't spotted Midorima watching them off from the side. Akashi must have planned for them to stay the whole time, probably wanting to make sure that Kise goes home with him instead of wandering the streets at night. The blonde knew he meant well, but his manager's protectiveness could sometimes be a little overwhelming.

Shifting his attention back to the stage he realized it was nearing towards the end, the only announcement left to be made was the winner of the prestigious scholarship.

Although Akashi had initially wanted Kise's help in choosing the winner, he one day claimed he had found the person himself and decided that his input wasn't necessary. At first Kise had been a bit hurt by the notion, but figured Akashi didn't mean any real harm by it, and figured if he had enough faith in this person, then they must truly be deserving of it.

Still, he was curious…

Akashi then took the center once again and settled down the slowing applause and the quiet murmurs from the crowd.

"Our last award tonight is a full scholarship to the esteemed art academy of Rose Haven University."

The murmurs amongst the students and family members had returned, but this time a bit more anxious then before.

Akashi continued. "This student I chose personally. To me their skills are among the best I have seen from a novice art student before, and I believe the proper education and training that Rose Haven will be able to provide, will only enhance this student's remarkable skills even further."

As he continued his praise, Midorima made his way onto the stage carrying a covered easel.

The crowd hushed and turned their focus on the concealed object, a curious buzz surrounding the entire room.

"I have brought my favorite piece from this artist, which I think is truly worth sharing with the masses."

The red head walked over to the easel and slowly removed the cloth.

There in front of the entire auditorium was Kagami's dark and twisted rendition of Kise.

Akashi turned toward the shocked crowd with a wicked smirk.

"Kagami Taiga, please come up and receive your prize."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And thus the big unveiling! (I'm so sorry Kagami!)
> 
> So we're almost to the end guys! Thank you all again for reading and please tell me what you think :D


End file.
